Bonds
by crazyvegimab
Summary: Through out her short life Eva has had many bonds. She has learned that some can never be broken, no matter how damaged they appear. But can her bonds, her relationship, be salvaged after it had been forgotten for so long? -AikkaEva-
1. Thinking with Duct Tape

Disclaimer: If I owned Oban the Crogs would worship pinecones and Toros would be a clothing salesman.

Author's Note: I was originally planning to wait until the series ended to write this. Then I ran into a horde of beautiful fan fiction. Now, I'm sitting here, typing my own ending to Oban, with hope of getting my first chapter done before the new episode. It begins sometime after Episode 17, Optimized like Ondai.

Chapter One: Thinking with Duct Tape

Through the small rectangular opening she gazed. The vertical opening was like her own figure: small, skinny, but with definite strength. Now, her body was curled up, with her stringy arms pulling her bare legs against her chest. The air that rushed into the girl-not-yet-a-woman's window/door whipped through her black hair sending it dancing in a thousand directions. The stars in the heavens above sent blots of light into her crimson eyes. The Earther, known to many as Molly, let out a soft sigh to be grabbed by the passing air. She was overcome with the horrible tingle of selfishness in her gut. While so many wished for peace, what did she want? Her dead mother back so her father would love her again. That was all she really wanted, an apology. She wanted him to realize his wrong doings, and make up for them. What a silly thought. He would never do that for her. She was the one he had chosen to leave behind. Though Eva had given up on self pity long ago, she was once again ambushed with it. Everything always seemed to happen to her! Why was she forced to suffer? How could she carry all the burdens placed upon her? Before Eva could help it, tears had welled up in her eyes. Furious, she quickly blinked the tears away. _Shut Up! _She told her mind. With her emotions muzzled, she turned back to her wish. Would never seeing Mia again be worth a planet or two?

The morning came, and once again she was Molly. Just a girl living a lie, but no one else knew that.

"Jordan?" Eva bothered the gunner in the Flying Temple's version of a bathroom. Jordan looked at Eva's reflection in the mirror. He was currently in the process of running a plastic comb through his dense hair. ( The hair, not Jordan. ;) ) "What is it Molly?" He asked.

"If you could have one wish, what would it be for?"

Jordan seemed to ponder this for a short while. "Hmm… I don't know, but some of my mom's home cooking sounds good right now."

Irritation jittered through Eva's body. "Thanks a million, Jordan. You've been a big help." The sarcasm dripped from her lips as she turned and left. She should have known better than to ask Jordan. Now, to find someone who had actually given the Ultimate Prize some thought…

"Hey, Molly! Wait up!"

The flying temples rested neatly like eggs in a carton. The new environment was a strange one, and reminded Eva slightly of the illustrations in the Dr.Suess books she had read as a child. The hills were an off green, with too much blue tone to be regular. The trees curled and twisted over the land with brightly colored blooms and falling leaves: the perfect mixture of autumn and spring. Bumpy hills stretched out for what seemed like forever, covered by oddly shaped rocks and tiny flowers.

Eva surveyed the land as she attempted to determine the proper partner for this discussion. Stan and Koji were both great guys, but Eva doubted they would find it easy to relate to her. Don Wei was not to even be considered and option. Rick, the ideal candidate was currently on Earth, and thus, unavailable. The only was left now was the alien Prince Aikka, but Eva was currently not on speaking terms with the proud prince. With a breath of the crisp autumn tasting air in her chest, Eva decided a little time alone might be best.

The grass (or at least Eva thought it was grass) was unusually springy and the aroma produced by the dying flowers rivaled the Flying Temple's own. The trees seemed to have grown with a climber in mind, and Eva swiftly scaled to the highest point in her first tree. From her high position, it was easy to locate the highest near by hill, and a perfect spot for some quiet thought.

The chosen hill was an easy climb with little grade. It provided the Earthen with a view of the surrounding area. A fresh gust of wind swept through her hair and stole leaves away from the trees. Eva sighed with contentment; Oban was enclosed in such beauty. She opened her eyes to further examine the unfamiliar zone. On the hill to Eva's right a lone figure sat in a meditative state. The surprise on Eva's small face quickly turned to a frown. Her anger from his actions in the artic race still held.

_He forgave you, didn't he? _The sensible part of her brain pointed out. _It'd only be fair to do the same. _Though Eva resisted, she couldn't come up with a decent counter argument, and proceeded to travel in his direction.

Unfortunately, things didn't go exactly as planned.

The right side of the hill was far steeper than the back, and years of rainfall had caused the soil to become loose. Needless to say, one step and Eva was sent skidding down the hill. Eva grabbed at the small flowers along the hillside, but they all came up by the roots. She hoped the rocks would slow her down, but they only succeeded in tripping her. The words that followed would have surprised Rick, and put Don Wei in shock. But Eva had right reason for these curses, as she was sent flying face forward.

At first the Nourasian Prince ignored the noise interrupting his meditation. _Deep Breaths, _He repeated to himself for the umpteenth time. Aikka jumped a few inches off the ground as the noise skyrocketed. He could wake his dead grandfathers from the gave with this kind of noise. (_No offense Great-Grandfathers,_ Aikka quickly apologized in case his thoughts could be heard.) The Prince turned to inform whoever was making such a ruckus that they were terribly rude. It was then that he discovered the one in question to be a particular earth girl in deep trouble. Aikka acted as any friend would, take all means to save the person he held dear.

He raced forward as Eva's shoe caught on the stone and she tumbled forward. He put on a final burst of speed, and with grace only achievable by those of Nourasian blood, caught Eva in his strong arms. Aikka had not expected her to be accelerating so quickly, or the added factor of unstable footing. He fell backwards on his behind and skidded to her bottom of the hill. With his Knight-in-Shining-Armor moment destroyed, Aikka stared at Earth's Racer, who was currently on top of him. This moment too, was ripped to shreds as Eva burst out into a fit of coughing caused by the dust in the air. The Prince quickly helped her to her feet.

"Did you sustain any injuries?" There was worry etched into his blue eyes. As Eva cleared the remaining dust from her lungs, she looked up at the Prince with confusion.

"Why did you help me?" Aikka opened his mouth to speak, but before a syllable could be formed, she was talking again. "If you still want to be friends, then why did you attack me during the race?!" Eva was angry again. Aikka was acting just like her father. He said he loved her, betrayed her, and now wanted her back.

"It is… I was…" Aikka started lamely.

"Forget it." Eva turned and left. She didn't care what Aikka was going to wish for. She didn't care if he had forgiven her when she messed up. She was seething, and that was all that mattered now.

"Molly, Wait!" Aikka followed her. She turned to spit an insult when his words stopped her. His head was hung, and he looked regretful. "I am sorry."

Eva froze. The whole world was still for her. Here was Aikka, giving her all she had wanted from her father. He realized her feelings. He understood Eva better than her own father. Funny, how the world works.

Eva collapsed in Aikka's arms, tears rushing down her face. She told him everything. After all, she owed the dumbfounded prince for staining his clothing with her tears.

A calmness settled over two as they both bathed in their own thoughts.

Though slightly troubled that he had been lied to this entire time, Aikka understood the feelings behind Molly-No, Eva's actions. He himself sometimes wished to hide under the cloak of a fake identity and escape from his duties.

Eva's thoughts once again rested on the Ultimate Prize. "_I wish for eternal peace. That will end the bloodshed," _Aikka had told her. His words seemed to finalize her decision. Even if she never saw her mother again, and thus never made amends with her father, she would wish for the betterment of everyone.

As if it had been politely waiting for Eva to finish her thought, the curled symbol of the Avatar suddenly let out a burst of light. Both racers looked at each other. Could they get back to the flying temples in time? Aikka helped Eva to her feet with a quick jerk. (though she did not need any help) With his hand still tightly gripping hers, he sprinted to the cluster of flying temples. The speed of the Nourasian was hard to match, and Eva was simply dragged along most of the way. As they neared the temples he let go of her hand and raced towards his own temple. The momentum Eva had gathered sent her hurtling into the temple door. She heard Aikka shout something just before the temples lifted.

"Good Luck, Eva, Princess of Earth!" Eva smiled. It sounded nice to hear her real name from the Prince's lips.

Don Wei hadn't quite been the same since he had confronted Eva. His voice seemed softer, gentler. It was as if he realized he had committed some unforgivable act, and its pain drained away his confidence and authority. Even now as he proceeded to scold her, Don Wei lacked vigor.

"You should know better than wandering too far from the temple by now, young lady," He told her sternly. Eva dismissed his comment with a roll of her eyes, and climbed into the cockpit of the Arrow III. Jordan, already in the turret, popped up on the screen.

"Where were you, Molly? We couldn't find you anywhere." Eva let out a groan.

"I already got a lecture for Don Wei, I don't need you too." Jordan was still concerned.

"Just be careful. You never know where that traitorous Prince could be hiding." Jordan's eyes darted about suspiciously, as if the Prince was hiding in his very turret. Eva snorted in a combination of amusement and agreement. Aikka did seem to show up in some pretty weird places.

As the flying temples opened, nine different racers dropped from the sky. Eva felt all anxiety wash away. This is what she was born to do, and not even her dysfunctional father could change that.

As the booster drives kicked in, the Arrow III flew forward, eventually settling a few meters from the ground.

"You're in fifth place, Molly." Koji informed her. "Pass these two and we can earn ourselves some points."

"On it!" Eva replied, increasing the speed. The track was a tiny twisting tunnel through a mass of curving roots, and large rocks. As the track deepened into the earth light slowly disappeared. Soon, the only light was coming from the racers themselves. Quick blasts illuminated from Jordan's guns, striking the engines on Lord Furter's ship. They flared brightly and Further's vessel sputtered before falling to the bottom of the tunnel. Eva quickly steered the Arrow out of the way, and into fourth place. As she zoomed into the darkness, she suddenly found herself dodging the mines that Muir had left for her. The first one stuck the Earth ship's left side, sending it hurtling to the right. Eva gripped tightly on her handle bars, bracing herself for impact. Impact, however, has different plans. The Arrow spun through a small gap in the massive roots, and down a different tunnel.

"Molly, turn back!" Don Wei shouted through his head piece. Eva glanced curiously at the tunnel in front of her. The Arrow's headlights only pierced five or so meters into the darkness. There was no way of knowing whether this path was a dead end or not. She glanced at her useful little gate indicator. It pointed forward and slightly left.

"I'm taking it," Eva told her father. Don Wei's shouts were drowned out as she Arrow accelerated forward. The new path was twisted and overgrown with roots. Only Eva's excellent piloting skills kept them from crashing into sharp rocks that would appear out of nowhere.

"Molly, Watch it!" If Molly who had cared to look at Jordan's face, she would have noted it was tinged with green. It must have been all the quick turns and rolls.

There! Up ahead! The path seemed to end at a cobweb of roots. But, like any good pilot, Eva saw more than that.

Don Wei inwardly groaned. He had known this was going to happen. This race was forfeit; the Earth Team would never catch up with the main group now.

"Head back, Molly. There's nothing we can do." Don spoke calmly into his headset.

Eva wasn't listening. She was focused, either she made this or the Arrow III was scrap like the last two. She was planning on the first.

"Molly! What are you doing? Turn the Arrow around immediately!" He raised his voice to a shout. Was she crazy? At this rate she's crash…

"Slow Down, Molly!" Stan joined in Don Wei's shout. The Arrow III was meters from the blockage now. Closer, closer. Jordan held up his arms to shield his face.

"Molly – y!" He shouted in terror as she rocks rushed up to meet them. _"Wait until you see the whites of their eyes!" _A famous commander had once said. If the rocks had eyes, Jordan reasoned. Then he was close enough to study them.

Eva swerved. The Arrow III shot cleanly through a gap in the roots that everyone else had failed to notice. The racer flew into the main tunnel, and cut off the head racer, Kross. Eva put on some speed to distance herself from the dangerous ship. Kross did obviously not fancy second place, and with a growl, sent laser blasts at the Earthens with deadly accuracy. Eva managed to dodge the first few, but the constant blasts threw her off, and Kross landed a shot directly in the left engine. Eva struggled to control the craft.

"Wake up, Jordan! I need some cover!" Jordan, who had not yet overcome the shock of still being of this world, struggled.

"Err… On it, Molly!" Moments later, the familiar turret popped from the Arrow's side. Jordan fired in succession, forcing the crog to focus on evasion.

"Look! The gate!" It was just in her reach now. Eva knew even with the Arrow damaged she could still make it. As she slid through the gat in first place, a sense of triumph soothed her. It was good to be back in the game.

She turned to watch Kross fly through the gate second, and Muir after him. Just before G'dar, Prince Aikka's flying beetle, could reach the gate, it exploded. It was hard to tell from the distance, but Eva was sure the Prince was shocked.

"Didn't think we'd cut ahead of ahead, did you Princey Boy?" Jordan taunted the Nourasian, who, obviously, heard none of Jordan's words. Eva shook her head before returning to the approaching temples. _Boys._


	2. Talking over Food

Disclaimer: If I owned Oban, Kross's wife would own a doughnut shop called Krospy Kremes.

Author's Note: I hoping to smash all of the race of Oban into one chapter, but when I realized that it had already come two around 2600 words, I decided to stop. So I am forced to present you with chapter two, taking place after Episode 18 (Monstrous like Muir).

And to my awesome reviewers, Thank you! Bulma Bruief, In light of Episode 19, I shall make this an AikkaEva fiction, starting with the next chapter. Fushica, What happens is Kross places highly combustible doughnuts on the edge of the last ring, so after three star racers fly through them, the heat causes them to explode. Thiendrah, Yes! Go Eva! Rambie, What are you yaying for?

Chapter Two: Talking over food

With a small pop, the bag was opened, and Eva dug her greedy gloveless hands into the mixture, pulling out a handful of small red dried fruits and cramming them into her mouth. The label on the previously sealed bag read, _Craisins, Full of Craisiny Goodness._ The Earth Team had set off to Alwas with crates full of dried food, and other substances packed full of preservatives. On Alwas, majority of the good food had been eaten, and now only junk remained. Though they had bought a fresh supply before heading to Oban, Don Wei insisted that the old food go first, before they gorged themselves. Eva had no problem with this, considering most of the remaining food was some sort of dried fruit or vegetable. Eva liked dried fruit, it tasted good, and supposedly it was good for you, a rare combo. As long as it wasn't a box of raisins, Eva would eat it.

If there was one food Eva passionately hated, it was raisins. In the ten years she had spent at the Stern Boarding School, at least 90 of the dishes had found some way to incorporate raisins. At first it had been a shock, as the tiny wrinkled excuse for food had shown up in every dish imaginable. This soon grew to dislike, as perfectly good cooking would be destroyed by the odd raisin.

Craisins, on the other hand, were an entirely different matter. Despite what their name suggested, they were merely dried cranberries. Eva stuffed a few more craisins into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. They had won nine points only to fail miserably in the next race. Still, Eva had found the encounter with Muir to not be a total waste. She had learned more on what the other racers were wishing for, and now had a better idea on what she herself was wishing for. The more Eva experienced, the more she was leaning toward Rush's opinion. It was far less stressful to focus on the positive.

As Eva turned down the hallway that lead to the control room, her thoughts were interrupted by none other than Don Wei. He hadn't spoken a word to her since the race yesterday, but now, as he did speak, his voice was serious.

"Eva," He began.

Eva panicked. She had sworn he was no longer focused on that line of thought. With the possibility of her mother returning gone, Eva had planned on hiding her identity from Don Wei as long as possible, and when he found out, well, he found out. But now that the time had come, Eva wasn't quite sure how to handle it.

"You've been my little Eva all this time. It's hard to believe, but it's true, isn't it?" Don Wei stared straight into Eva's crimson eyes. With no options left, the young racer nodded slowly.

"You must remember when Mia died?" Her father's eyes flickered away, as though the subject shouldn't have been dusted off, and brought to conversation. Though tense now, Eva nodded. What was he getting at?

"Then you must understand the pain. I do not want you racing today, Eva. If something were to happen to you…" Don Wei trailed off slightly before continuing. "I can not bear the thought of loosing another champion."

All the anger that had been building up around Eva burst forth like a raging storm. "How selfish are you?! I was abandoned because _you_ couldn't take care of me. I wasn't able to face at first because _you_ were afraid it would hurt _your_ reputation. Now you want me to stop because _you're _scared I might get hurt?!"

"Eva…" Don Began, but Eva wasn't done yet.

"How is it you're even related to me? Where did my loving father go?"

"Eva, you don't understand," Don protested. Eva's eyes narrowed until they had far more slant than those of an angry crog.

"I understand well enough, How you've been a complete failure as a father! All the pain you've caused me." The storm raged on as Eva poured every bit of malice into her words. "You make me sick."

"Eva!" Don Wei interjected, still attempting to defend himself.

"You think you can march in here and start calling me by my real name? You lost that right a long time ago! To you I'm Molly, the failure star-racer pilot. To call me anything else would show you actually cared about me, which from all experience, you obviously don't!" Tears puddled in Eva's eyes. He was no real father. She didn't want him as he was.

Jordan leaned up against the door frame leading into the control room. He was discussing a few possible upgrades on the Arrow III with Stan and Koji over a cup of his favorite orange coffee. He heard Molly coming down the hallway. Jordan turned to tell her a 'Good Morning', but Don got to her first. Jordan's jaw dropped as he heard every word of their conversation. Molly, her name was really Eva? And she was Don Wei's daughter. This was insane. Was he dreaming? Jordan quickly moved as Molly stomped by, followed by an apologetic Don Wei, who seemed to be loosing his nerve by the second.

The whole ordeal probably hadn't taken two minutes. The three stared at each other. It was Stan, who first decided something had to be done. Jordan was volunteered to find Molly, while Stan and Koji watched Don Wei. Whether Molly told more or confirmed anything was up to her.

Jordan sighed as steaming orange liquid drizzled into his mug. He couldn't find Molly anywhere. She hadn't been in her room, the Arrow's hanger, or any of the various hallways. And she couldn't have gone flying, since the Arrow III, recently repaired, sat quietly in the hanger. The gunner reached sadly for his mug when he was frozen by a small sound. With no sisters, and few girls in his unit, Jordan had little or no experience with women. Even with these facts in place, as Jordan listened, he swore the sound was that of a crying girl. With his ear pressed against the coffee machine, an idea came to Jordan. Could Molly be hiding inside the machine? The dual haired boy gave his beloved coffee maker a 360 inspection. It was surrounded by large crates on either side, those crates backed against the rear of the storage room. Further examination lead to the realization that there was an empty space between the coffee machine and the wall. It was the perfect hiding spot. Earth's gunner climbed up the crates. Sure enough, Molly was couched down low in the empty space, disregarded craisin bag at her feet. Her head rose from her knees, and she watched Jordan as he lowered himself to the floor. Her face was stained with tears, and her eyes red rimmed.

"Hey, Jordan." Her quiet voice was empty, lacking any emotion.

"Molly." Jordan was overcome with worry. This was his partner, and they'd been through so much together. But now his strong partner was torn with grief. Jordan wanted to gather her in his arms and never let go. He wouldn't let Don hurt her ever again. But he stopped him self from this bold action. It would probably just freak Molly out.

"It's Eva," She told him: just like that first time in the stands.

"So you really are Don's daughter?" When she nodded Jordan's heart went out to her. Her only family was that heartless man. He frowned. No, that was wrong. She had the whole team.

"We're your family too, you know, Stan, Koji, Rick, and me. You're family to all of us!" The newly named Eva looked Jordan straight in the eyes. His words had come straight from the heart, and he meant them. Built up tears streaked down Eva's face and she clung to the gunner. Though bright red, he comforted the grieving pilot, his self-proclaimed little sister.

Faces glued intently to the screen, Stan and Koji toiled away gathering information on the upcoming track. The race was in a few hours, and if Molly didn't want to race because she was upset, it was fine with them. She had to do what she felt was right.

Koji was the first to look up as Molly entered the room. Both mechanics pivoted on their rolling chairs to face her.

"Hey, Molly," Koji said weakly.

"Please," She addressed both of them. "You can call me Eva." The exchanged glances, as if to say 'It's true?'.

"I may be Don Wei's daughter, but that doesn't change anything." Eva began.

_Yes it does._ Stan thought to himself.

"I'm still the pilot, and you guys are still my awesome mechanics." Though they all smiled reassuringly at her, it would be a long time before they let her go anywhere near Don Wei.

It became a simple ritual between Stan, Koji and Jordan. They made sure that at all times one of them was following her, in case Don Wei came to stress her again. Since the mechanics had the Arrow to look after as well, Jordan was normally assigned with guard duty. He didn't really mind, since he had little to do anyways. He followed her cautiously into the Arrow III's hanger. The symbol of the Avatar had brightened a short while ago, and the race would begin momentarily.

"You still planning on racing?" Eva nodded.

"Of course. I couldn't let Don get his way, could I?" Jordan smiled. That was Eva alright. He followed her example and climbed into his turret.

The race was short, with at least six closely placed gates. It had been a simple matter for Eva to maneuver through them, and she had even managed to grab three points. Don did not show up to watch the race.

The days that followed were similar in manner. Eva and Jordan scored just enough points to lock their position in third place, while Don Wei avoided them. With one race left to go, the whole team was anxious. If they could score nine points in the upcoming race, then the Earth Team would walk away with the Ultimate Prize. Eva seemed more determined than ever, and everyone (minus Don) did their best to cheer her on.

Eva yawned as light tickled her face. She hopped down onto the stone floor, and wandered to absorb the fresh morning sun. They were hovering above a vast tropical sea. Coral Reefs and tropical islands decorated with temples marked the water. A fascinated Eva watched as dolphin-like fish burst from the waves, and followed the flying temples.

A mumble from Jordan brought her back to reality. If she dressed quickly, perhaps she could escape without Jordan noticing. Though she appreciated that he was worried for her, it was practically impossible to be alone now a days, and Eva valued her thinking time. She peeked around her curtain. Jordan was curled in a ball with his pillow gripped Teddy Bear like in his arms. His sheet had been pushed off his mattress, and lay crumbled on the floor. Eva couldn't help but grin at her ridiculous teammate. Quickly ducking behind the curtains she pulled her overalls and shirt on. Eva, dressed and ready to go, skirted Jordan, and successfully escaped.

Her shoes left little tapping sounds on the stone as she came to what was known as the temple's living space. It was wide and open, and Koji had rigged up a stove in it. They would take turns cooking, and eat at the crates assembled in the center. Today a pleasant odor drifted from the room. Could Koji be up, and already making breakfast? The sight that greeted her was far different than expected.

Don Wei slaved away at the stove. He looked rather comical, as he was wearing Koji's apron. A table cloth like sheet was draped over the crates, gorgeous spread covering it. The main dish seemed to be French toast. Bacon, eggs, and various dried fruit also sat patiently waiting to be eaten. Don was whistling an old tune to himself. Eva was over come with memories.

When she was little, Don and Mia would cook for her almost every day. Mia wasn't a wonderful cook, but always managed to pull a tasty meal out of a recipe book. Don, on the other hand, made wonderful breakfasts. Tough most recipes were foreign to him; he had mastered the art of breakfast making, and greeted his wife and daughter with something delicious each morning. Out of all her father's experiments, Eva had always liked French Toast with bacon the best. Don noted that, and on any special day, her birthday for example, he made her a big plate of French Toast covered with whipped cream and fresh fruit.

_How did he remember?_ Eva asked herself as the current Don Wei suddenly noticed her standing in the door way. He took a deep breath, and gathered all his confidence before speaking.

"I may have been a horrible father to you over the last ten years, but now I know what I've done wrong, and am willing to do anything to fix it. Can you give an old man one last chance, Eva?" His eyes were pleading, and his words genuine.

Eva stared blankly at her father for a short minute. Finally it hit her, and with a cry she ran forward and caught Don Wei in a bear hug.

"Eva, Stop it, I'm going to drop the pan." The two burst into a comfortable laughter.

Jordan rubbed his eyes as he slowly dressed. He asked Eva how she had slept. When she did not respond, he looked past her curtains. Eva was currently absent. Panicking now, Jordan raced from the room, and almost into Stan and Koji.

"Jordan, Where's Eva?" Stan sounded like a teacher inquiring about homework from a bad student.

"She must have slipped out past me."

"This is not good." Jordan, Stan, and Koji raced down to the living space, where they were surprised by an unusual sight. Don Wei and Eva sat talking at their crate tables. They were acting civil, and no signs of hostility were showing.

"Hey, Jordan!" Eva shouted as she spotted the gunner. "Stan, Koji, Come see what my dad made us!" The three looked at each other quizzically. Don made good food? They sat down slowly, as if the manager would suddenly jump up and yell at them.

But the yelling never came. Don was talking, and there was even a hint of a chuckle in his voice. After finishing the first real breakfast they had eaten in a long while, the three boys retreated to a safe distance to watch the man converse with his daughter.

Father and daughter talked of all sorts of things. Apparently a new subdivision had been built around their old house. Don consoled Eva by explaining that roughly half the forest where Eva had played as a child still remained. The conversation lulled as the topic changed to racing.

"Look, Dad," Eva finally said. "I know it's dangerous, but it's in my blood. Telling me not to race is like telling the Avatar the Race of Oban was a bad idea." The graying manager snorted. Only his daughter would compare herself to the Avatar. "The point is, I'm going to race no matter what, and I'd appreciate if you supported me." A sigh escaped Don's lips.

"It doesn't look like you're going to change your mind. You're just as stubborn as your mother." Eva grinned.

"Sure Am."

And I was planning to write more for this chapter, but I just can't seem to sum up Oban in two chapters! Something to note: the more reviews, the sooner I'll get the next chapter done! Thanks for reading!


	3. Navigating the Fire

Today's Random Disclaimer: If, for some unknown reason, I were to own Oban Star-Racers, Don Wei's hair would have been made into a hat a long time ago.

Author's Note: I received five reviews on the first day! I'm full to the brim with happiness!

So, I give you the next chapter early! This one starts after the end of the last chapter, right before the race begins! And to Fushica, your comment made my laugh so hard I choked on the vegetable I was eating. My sister thought I was dying.

Chapter Three: Navigating the Fire

Eva ran her fingers over the handle bars of her rocket seat. Any minute now the Avatar's symbol would shine brightly and the Arrow III would plummet toward the final track. Just one last try. It was all resting on this.

Eva would win. She had to win. She would win by shear determination alone if she had to. Jordan appeared on the screen, sending her thoughts up like a flock of disturbed birds.

"You ready, Eva?" She grinned, and though that was all the confirmation Jordan needed, she replied anyway.

"You better believe it!" Don Wei's voice cut through the speaker, evidently he had been listening to their exchange.

"Don't get to cocky. The race has yet to begin."

"Yes, sad!" Jordan and Eva looked at each other over the intercom. While Jordan had said sir, Eva had replied Dad, and when said simultaneously they sounded like 'sad'. The pilot and the gunner burst into laughter. It was so ridiculous it had been hilarious, and Don's irritated sigh from the other line only fueled their laughter.

The temple's floor dropped away, and their laughter was silenced as both humans focused all energy on the battle to come.

The Arrow III skimmed above the water, sending spray flying in all directions. The Earth Team was well behind in seventh position.

"Speed! We need more speed!" Eva grumbled to herself. Directly in front of them, Muir's bulk blocked the way to the first gate.

"Jordan, Fire at Muir's left, but don't hit him." Though puzzled, Jordan's turret was soon moved into position. As he fired, Muir swerved to the right to avoid the laser blasts. Eva saw the opening she had created, and took it. Soon she was through the first gate.

In the lead, Kross's trident zoomed proudly, closely followed by Sul, Ning, and Skun. In the last few races (more accurately the whole competition) Kross had been singling Sul out, and purposely attacking him. Now, as Sul prepared to extract his revenge, a small smile formed on what could only assumed to be his lips. He summoned the energy from within him, and a produced a small glowing blue orb between his delicate hands. Sul tossed the energy between both hands, like a child and his ball. It grew with each pass. When it had reached the size of a grapefruit, the orb sent out pulsations in the form of continual flashes. Balancing it centimeters from his fingertips, Sul held the energy. With only a flick of his wrist, the ball hurtled forward, at a speed superior even to the Arrow's hyper drive.

Kross had expected this attack, and quickly maneuvered his modified Trident out of the way. Unfortunately for the crog, he had not anticipated the speed of Sul's attack, and it neatly sliced off his side prong, and damaged part of his engine. Had the Trident been one second slower, the energy would have melted through the vessel's center like butter, completely destroying the engine, and possibly the pilot. Due to the lack of balance, Kross began to steer of course and spin. He probably would have been able to continue the race if it had not been for Ning and Skun.

Seeing the lead racer's lack of control, Ning and Skun darted past Sul, and fired simultaneous laser blasts. The crog engine puffed up in a mini-explosion, and it spiraled out of control. The momentum it had gained sent it straight into a temple below the other racers. The race was now over for Kross.

The trail of racers left the island to pass through a second gate. Just three more to go. This search lead them to another tropical island. The lead three teams zipped down into the wide mouth of a temple. Furter was half through when Eva noticed the trap. Slender cylindrical pillars sliced downward, closing the temple opening. Furter had been caught in the Stones, and now multiple pillars anchored his ship to the entrance. When the free pillars rose again, those stuck in Furter's ship groaned, longing to join the others.

Timing herself perfectly, Eva slid the Arrow III through the remaining gap in the temple mouth, stones slamming down as she cleared. Gaps in the ceiling provided substantial light, and the Earth Team passed ancient inscriptions and plant growth with ease. The tunnel ended as they came into a large chamber. Before Eva could focus on the racers in front of her, Jordan called out. The floor of the chamber was like a deep pit, and it was smothered in a mass of plants. Eva saw no problem with this until something caught her eye.

The plant moved.

She sent the Arrow III higher as the closest plant's jaw-like leaves closed around the spot they has just been. As Eva settled in the safe airspace below the ceiling, she took a closer look at the plants. They reminded her of giant Venus Fly Traps. A few snapped below them, sensing the change in air current. Eva turned to her opponents.

Not far ahead Sul and the alien sisters were fighting viciously over first place. It was an amazing display of magical powers and maneuverability. Aikka, who had been hanging back in third place until now, flew G'dar forward in an attempt to pass the leaders. This was his mistake. The distance Aikka had kept between him and the other racers prevented their attacks from reaching him. But now, he was the perfect target as the doomful blue orb missed Ning, and shot forward in his direction. There was no time to dodge, no time to grab an arrow. For a hopeless two seconds, the Prince of Nourasia watched in horror as the energy cam upon him.

It was G'dar's piercing scream that drove Eva faster. _Aikka!_ Was her only thought as she witnessed events unfold.

The powerful beetle reared back as the energy struck him, singing his flesh. Aikka was thrown from his saddle. He flew through the air before striking the chamber wall with a sickening crack. Instantly unconscious, the Prince fell, headed for the carnivorous plants below.

The Arrow III shot forward with a sudden burst of speed. There was no way Eva would let her best friend be eaten by plants. The glass that covered the cock pit scrolled back, and wind rushed around Eva, obscuring her vision. Sensing the perfect spot, she sent the Arrow into a screeching stop. Aikka's limp body landed harshly in the cockpit. With no time to worry about the Prince, Eva let out a long whistle. It worked on dogs back home, and Eva prayed it would work on G'dar as well. The cockpit lid closed, and the Arrow zipped forward to catch the leaders. In spite of his blinding pain, G'dar followed the Arrow obediently. As Eva exited the chamber she passed through the third gate.

Two more to go.

A chamber and two hallways later Eva reached the fighting racers. A sense of dread overcame her as the temple let out an echoing groan. Unaware of this warning, Skun shot at Sul, missing and striking the tiles above. Her shots pierced through and the tile fell into the pool of water below. To everyone's surprise, water gushed out from behind the large tile. Soon, tiles were falling everywhere, and the water level quickly rose. It spilled down into the hallway beyond, and began to fill the only path to the next gate. Eva cursed and whizzed around Ning and Skun. Ning turned to fire, but was silenced by a falling tile. Before Skun could turn to shoot, The Arrow III had fled the flooding chamber.

Once down the soaked tunnel, the Arrow slammed into a wall of fog. It was completely weird. Where did all this vapor come from? Steam is normally created when cool water meets heat, but where could such warmth be coming from? In Eva's thoughts, something clicked.

"No way." With a quick change of gears, the Arrow III slowed down to a crawling speed. Until Eva's prediction was proved correct, she wasn't hitting the end of the fog barrier head on.

"Eva, Why are you slow-" Don Wei stopped mid sentence, his mouth agape at the scene before him.

Instead of a chamber, the tunnel dead-ended in a cavern full of lava. It bubbled and sizzled as the water stuck it. A stone path stuck out along the lava ending at what could only be an alter. Floating rather smugly above the alter was the fourth gate. Pleased she had been correct, Eva was about to give the Arrow gas when a rather large lava bubble popped. It sent liquid fire hurtling in human sized blotches toward the ceiling. If one of those bubbles popped beneath her or G'dar, she doubted either of them would survive.

"Eva, behind us!" Jordan's voice erupted into the cockpit, and Eva looked up in time to see Sul soar over her a through the fourth gate.

"No! Stop!" She screamed at him. But Sul refused to listen. After all, who would listen to their adversaries? Sul neared the exit to the cavern, and as Eva could see now, the fifth, and final gate.

Sul never reached the gate.

A bubble of fatal lava popped beneath him, showering the magician in liquid fire. Sul screamed out in anguish; it seemed even he could not bear the earth's raw power. He faltered, but with all the magic remaining in his body, managed to collapse on the ledge before the final gate.

"Eva, Don't do it! It's too dangerous!" It was Stan's voice, he was concerned for the pilot, as any teammate would be. Surprisingly, his words were followed by Don Wei's.

"The Ultimate Prize isn't worth both your and Jordan's life. Please Eva, I'm begging you, don't do it." Eva took a deep breath. This was her decision. Was her resolve strong enough to keep her going?

"I'm sorry, Dad. No can do." Eva flew through the fourth gate without further thought. She zoned the shouts of her teammates out as she shot forward across the lava. With zigzags and turns the Arrow III navigated over the harmful liquid. Eva quickly learned to avoid large bubbles, for fear she and G'dar would end up like Stan and Koji's barbeque potato chips. For a while this worked, Eva focused on the lava, Jordan clung to his dog tags, and G'dar followed jerkily along.

The sound of sizzling stone caused Eva to pry her eyes from the lava, a take a few precious seconds to glance behind her. As if he was being chased by hounds from hell, Muir shot from the tunnel and through the fourth gate. Eva didn't have time to ponder how he had gotten through the flooded room, or his new remarkable speed. If she didn't focus on the lava, they were done for.

If Eva had cared to listen, she would have heard the strong suggestion of using the hyper drive. However, if she increased he speed, G'dar would not be able to keep up, and Eva wasn't about to abandon him now. Less than a minute before the Arrow III could fly through the gate, Muir rammed the Earth Team. G'dar, who had been pushed aside, screamed in pain, as he could not keep up.

"Jordan, Shoot!" Eva practically screamed. They needed Muir off their tails so Eva could guide G'dar to safety. If the gigantic beetle wasn't directly behind her, she could not steer him away from possible bursts. The gunner quickly complied, and Muir shied away. G'dar regained his rightful position, and Eva shot through the gate. A feeling of confidence washed over her. They had won! The Ultimate Prize was theirs! Nothing could go wrong now. Eva slid into the sunlight; curious if the Avatar was waiting for her.

"Dad, We wo-" All communications were went dead as a powerful plasma blast pierced the Arrow's right reactor, and sent it spinning into the thick vegetation.

Eva flew from her rocket seat and soon made fast friends with the cockpit wall. With one hand to steady herself, and the other holding her throbbing head, Eva crawled across the vertical cockpit. Prince Aikka was a mess. He was still unconscious, and covered with cuts and bruises. His left arm had been badly damaged. Eva didn't know an arm could even bend like that.

As adrenaline, and the rush of the race drained from her body, panic and realization seeped in. Aikka was hurt badly, maybe even close to death. Her star racer was out of commission, making there no way to carry him to medical treatment.

"Eva! Eva!" It was Jordan's voice. He crawled through the trap door, and dropped to the wall. (Man, that sounds weird.) "Are you alright?" He kneeled down by Eva.

"I'm fine, but Aikka…" Eva drifted off, looking at the injured prince. Jordan winced upon seeing his arm.

"Ouch, That's gotta be pain-" Jordan's words were cut off as a large hand smashed the cockpit's glass. The gunner quickly moved to cover his pilot from the sharp falling objects. Before Jordan could react further, a huge hand reached out and tightened around Eva. She gasped for air as she stared in the face of a fuming crog.

"Now you pathetic beings will die." Kross's eye shrunk to a mere sliver.

"How'd you…?" Eva managed to sputter before the crog's grip tightened.

"You crog!" Jordan shouted jumping from the glass littered cockpit to defend Eva. With a simple wave of his hand, Kross brushed Jordan aside like one would a fly. Poor Jordan was sent fling backwards into the nearest tropical tree. Now, he too was unconscious.

"Let me go." Eva gurgled as she kicked and scratched at the crog arm, but to no avail. Her diminishing strength was nothing to the crog.

Eva gasped as the realization dawned on her. How Kross had taken those hits from Ning and Skun, how he conveniently spun off before the temple. It had all been a trap.

_Just a trap, _The last thought echoed in Eva's head as everything went black.

A/N: This chapter was getting too long, so I chopped in short here. Don't forget to review!


	4. Fixing the End

Disclaimer of the Day: If I was able to somehow buy the rights to Oban, Kross would have gained his high position in the army by bribing the higher ups with doughnuts.

Author's Note: Yes, This is the last of my chapters taking place on Oban. After this, it's on to the real story! Oh, And to all the nice reviews I received, Thank you so much! And to Fushica a special thank you to you for constantly making me laugh!

Warnings: The end contains random fluff and kissing, but nothing major.

Chapter Four: Fixing the End

Eva coughed as fresh air filled her lungs and her vision cleared. She had sworn she'd died. Eva was lying on the moist tropical earth, and sharp glass from the Arrow. She dumbly (without a voice) watched the scene in front of her. Kross tussled with Muir. Why was Muir protecting her?

The spider-like creature's claw ripped a gap in the crog's chest plate. Kross, in turn, sent Muir flying back with a powerful punch. Muir struck back with a jolt from his painful telepathic tentacles. The fight carried on, Kross slowly gaining the upper hand. Eva watched in amazement at the crog's agility. He was by far the superior fighter. As Kross lifted his fist to land the finishing blow a voice interjected.

"Stop!" Kross turned is four-pronged head to observe an irritated Satis emerge from the underbrush. "Kross of the Crogs, you are hereby disqualified from the race of Oban for attempting to take the life of the Earth pilot, Molly, and assaulting Muir." Eva's attention was locked on Satis. It seemed he didn't know everything, after all. Anger seemed to radiate from Kross's body. He curved his entire mass and id a very stupid thing.

He attacked Satis.

Or rather, a more appropriate choice of words would be attempted. Before the crog could strike, the Avatar's little helper froze his body in place.

"WHAT!" Kross's eye widened in surprise. His entire body was immobile. Satis scowled, something Eva rarely saw the short being doing.

"A fitting punishment is waiting for you on your home planet." And in a rush of sparkles, Satis and Kross were gone.

"Wait!" Eva called too late. She sighed and looked to Muir. "Thank you for helping me." Her voice was raggéd from near suffocation. Though Eva would never be sure, she swore Muir smiled before returning to his ship.

A groan to her left indicated Jordan was waking. _About time._ He stumbled to her.

"Where's Kross?" Eva coughed before replying.

"Satis got to him." _Darn, it hurts._ Eva rubbed her throat.

"I hope that good-for-nothing crog gets what he disserves." Jordan looked down at Eva who suddenly remembered Aikka.

"You know how to splint an arm?"

Sul staggered out of the tunnel. He was using all his energy to heal his singed body, and could spare none for hovering. He was surprised to discover the wreckage of the Earth craft. The sight of Kross's trident hiding to the right in the dense foliage unraveled that mystery for Sul. So Kross had planned to mortally wound whatever racer came in first, how like him. As Sul approached the Earth ship, he listened to the voices on the opposite side.

Jordan had carefully moved Aikka from the cockpit to the soft earth, and was currently in process of splinting the Prince's arm with the Arrow's medical kit.

"Look, Eva, the Prince is in no condition to fly. You have to take him up to the flying temple using Princey's overgrown bug." G'dar hissed at him. He had a name, thank you very much. Eva petted the wounded beetle.

"G'dar's too hurt to carry us!" She protested with her cracking voice.

"He flew fine during the race." Jordan retorted. Now he was supposed to wrap the arm like this, right? It had been months since he'd reviewed the medical training he had learned in the army. Eva paused, swallowing saliva to ease her esophagus.

"He put out all his energy! Even if he tried, I doubt he could carry all of us halfway!" Eva rubbed the beetle's head as it moaned in despair.

"Excuse me?" Both heads tuned as Sul approached. "Might I inquire what you're doing?" Jordan frowned.

"What do you want, alien?" Eva gave Jordan an open palm.

"Shush, Jordan." If Sul had eyebrows, he would have raised them at the pecking order he had just witnessed. "Can I help you?" Eva asked in her loudest tone, without straining herself, which wasn't as loud as she had hoped.

"What has become of Kross?" Always deal with the enemy first before personal matters.

"Satis took him away." Eva explained. Sul nodded in understanding, that made everything clear.

"Before I leave, I will offer you a piece of advice in compensation for the warning you gave me." Eva's eye's widened. He had heard her back in the lava room? Sul's delicate lips curled into a smile. "The crog trident still flies. Anyone who can fly it can return to the temples in a hurry." Eva realized what Sul was hinting at. She could get Aikka to fast medical attention. She thanked Sul with gratitude.

"There is no need." His smile widened, and Eva turned her head to shout at Jordan.

"I hope you have that splint done Jordan, because we're going on a ride." Jordan groaned loudly.

The trident had plenty of room; after all, it had been built for a full grown male crog. With Aikka cradled carefully in his arms, Jordan sat where Kross's feet would have rested, while Eva climbed into the chair. It reminded her of the Arrow II before her rocket seat had been installed, minus the foot pedals. The controls weren't overly complicated, and soon Eva had the crog vessel purring like a kitten. It hovered a few feet in the air, and Eva pulled the handles backward, planning to gain altitude with a slow slope. Foliage blocked the Trident's way, and Eva yanked again on the handle bars.

Nothing happened.

Eva cursed and yanked with all her might. The Trident just wasn't steering.

"Oh God, save us!" Jordan screamed. Though still working on the handles, Eva raised her eyebrows in surprise. She had never figured Jordan as the religious type. _Well. _She thought to her self, impending doom on the screen. _Most people do convert to some religion or the other when they believe they're near death. _Her fingers ran over the top of the handles. Was that a button? Eva's thumb pressed it down hard, and the Trident's blades glowed, suddenly gaining heat. She popped her thumb up and the prongs died down again.

_Of course! _A light bulb brightened in Eva's head. This was much easier than she had first thought. She held down the small button again, and sliced through the foliage with the Trident's heat, now free of obstacles. (Here Jordan let out a relieved sigh.) Eva focused herself. When Kross had lost that prong, he had lost vital control over the ship. Crog vessels were designed to with stand the strength of the crogs, so were most likely much more durable, making them harder to steer. If Eva pushed her entire body mass against the handle, maybe, just maybe it would turn her the proper amount to slide into the temple.

A screen popped up on her visual. G'dar had been watching them enter the trident, and now was struggling to follow them. Though troubled by the lack of steering, Eva did her best to fly slowly so G'dar could keep up.

Set along the bottom of the main temple, a series of openings lead to the medical lab. Now! Eva seized he chance and rammed all her body weight against the grip. The Trident responded perfectly, and slid into the hole, remaining prongs scraping the floor it landed. An exhausted G'dar followed in after her. He collapsed on the stone, pleased to be able to finally rest. Canaan, Aikka's fencing master rushed to G'dar's side.

"G'dar! What has happened to the young prince?" Canaan was panicing. His charge could be injured or worse. Why had G'dar abandoned him? Canaan did a 180 as the modified trident opened with a whoosh commonly found in science fiction movies. The nourasian's blue eyes widened as Eva jumped out. Her team swarmed her, bombarding the stunned pilot with questions. What had happened to the Arrow III? Where was Jordan? What was she doing in the crog craft?"

"Enough!" She shouted louder than her damaged throat would allow. The pounding in her skull increased. "Move, please." She added in a quieter tone. Her teammates backed away slowly. "Jordan," She called into Kross's trident. "It's clear." A grumbling Jordan came into the light and jumped to the flooring from the elevated entrance. Then he turned, and, to everyone's surprise, pulled out Aikka. Before any of the team could ask further questions, Eva had pushed them to the side, and Jodan had passed off Aikka to the waiting medics. Only once she was sure he was in good hands did she talk. Canaan, Don Wei, and her mechanics listened in with fascination.

"How can I thank you enough?" Canaan asked her afterwards, his tone full of new found respect.

"Don't thank me, Thank the Prince." When Eva realized that the fencing master didn't follow, she went on to explain. "He befriended me at the beginning of the race and encouraged me. Without him, I wouldn't have gotten this far." Canaan nodded. This system of one good deed for another was the Nourasian way. He was proud his prince has passed it off to this Earth girl.

Eva sighed deeply as she sat at the edge of the temples's platform. They had rested in the tropical region for the last few days while the teams packed their things and prepared to leave Oban. It also gave the Earth Team time to retrieve the Arrow III.

Eva had met with the Avatar privately yesterday after the closing ceremony. The meeting would scar her dreams for years to come. She made her wish, but refused to talk about it, even to Jordan or Stan and Koji. Things the Avatar had said startled her, and she was glad she had been the winner of the Race of Oban, for fear of what the other racers might have done.

The wish aside, Eva had settled into a slump of depression. With the race over, she would return back to Earth, possibly never to leave the planet again. Nothing was wrong with good old Earth, but she doubted she would ever again be faced with adventure if glued to Earth.

Then there was the matter of Prince Aikka. She hadn't seen him at the closing ceremony, and every time she traveled to see him, the nurses wouldn't let her through. Would Eva's last memories of Aikka be his limp form in Jordan's arms? The Earth pilot sighed again. She didn't even look up as the approaching footsteps stopped behind her.

"Go away, Jordan. I already told you I don't like your orange coffee." She told the mysterious person blandly. Though her voice had mostly recovered, she still had to be careful on high notes.

"Might I inquire what orange coffee is?" The voice was soft, familiar.

"Aikka!" Eva looked up at the smiling prince. His left arm was in a sling, but other wise, the nouraisan was fine. Eva motion for him to sit down, and he agreed.

"I still down know how you managed to get G'dar to follow you the entire race." Aikka shook his head in confusion. "Canaan can't even get him to do that." Eva smirked.

"It was real easy. G'dar's one intelligent beetle, all I had to do was whistle. He did the rest on his own."

"I see." They sat in the comfortable silence for a while until Aikka broke it. "He likes you." Eva looked up.

"Huh?" Aikka chuckled at her response.

"G'dar is very cautious about who he befriends. His attitude towards you proves what kind of person you are." Eva sweat dropped.

"It's not that big of a deal. I was just helping out."

"It is." Aikka was completely serious now. "You could have left me to die, but you did not. You even took care of G'dar as I would have."

"Hey, what are friends for?" Eva replied with an awkward smile. Aikka looked off.

"Yes, friends…" From here their conversation quieted, and they both enjoyed the scene painted before them as the sun slowly sunk below the horizon. Aikka was the first to stand.

"Canaan will be worrying for me." He explained as he helped Eva up with his good arm. "I'm sure your team is as well." Eva smiled sadly, and nodded. The Prince stopped, as if suddenly remembering something. "Eva, hold out your hand." Eva pulled off her glove, and offered her arm to Aikka with some puzzlement. He pulled a bracelet out of his invisible back pocket and slid it around Eva's wrist. It was a deep bronze, and met with an elegant curl. All along it, dots of some kind of white metal formed a complicated design.

"It's a Nourasian good luck charm," Aikka explained. "And it will keep you safe." He added the last bit with a smug grin. Eva snorted, but did not remove the bracelet. As Aikka turned to leave Eva longed to give him something back, or at the very least tell him how she felt.

"Aikka?" She asked. The nouraisan turned to look at her.

"What is it, Eva?" In one quick motion Eva darted forward, and placed a gental kiss on Aikka's lips. She quickly backed away; her entire face soaked with red. That had to be the stupidest thing she had ever one. She had kissed her best friend, and probably ruined their relationship. What would he think of her now? Her thoughts were jumpy and unfocused. The blush had to be effecting her brain in someway. Every thought she had froze as Aikka pulled her into a second kiss. This was a real kiss, and full of passion. When they finally stopped, Aikka pulled Eva as close to him as his injured arm would allow. She leant her head against his collarbone, and he rested his head atop of hers. His free arm was wrapped around her waist, and she clung to him with her own arms.

"Aikka," Eva started sadly. "Will I ever see you again?" The Prince's blue eyes stared deeply into her crimson ones.

"Our fates are intertwined now. We'll see each other again." Aikka smiled at Eva. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead before releasing her. "No space can separate us. Good night my Earth Princess." Eva waved as he disappeared in his module.

"Good bye, Prince Aikka." Eva sighed again, though contently this time. Tomorrow morning it was back to earth.

A/N: So what did you think of the first chunk? I've decided to start posting the new chapter once a week on Tuesday, unless I'm randomly inspired. Please review!


	5. Introducing a New Path

Bonds

Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Oban. The chemical formula for Toros is frogs, crabs, and a single pinecone.

A/N: I've decided to give up on having a regular uploading schedule. It'll come when it comes. To anyone who reviewed my story _How the Beetle Gained his Size, _there are much thanks for you.

Thriendrah: I'm glad you did.

Crystal Persian: The romance with Aikka and Eva is most likely going to be long, and drawn out. I was considering later writing a sequel to this where they actually discuss marriage, but who knows of that's going to happen.

Fushica: As usual your comment made me laugh, especially Canaan and the tidal wave of pastries. Poor guy's gonna be paranoid for life. No, this is not the end; I just finished the basic introduction! I still have the whole story to finish writing! Orange coffee is pretty much coffee with orange flavoring, and a few secret ingredients.

Lupe191919: Thanks, I'm glad I added that piece in. It wasn't part of my rough draft.

Der Metzgermeister: I liked your fic, it was good. As for Kross, I never rally gave him much thought. He probably fell through a plot hole into Barney-Land. I've always liked Toros better. I was planning on writing a mini-fic about what happened to him after the Prelims, but I need to finish this story first.

Star Fata: I'm not sure if it's a complement or not, but thanks. ;

Bulma Breif: Yes, I updated, are you happy now?

Holy Krap, I don't think I'll be replying to every review again. That took up a lot of space.

Chapter Five: Introducing a New Path

Eva sat Indian-style on her bed. Stuffed animals were thrown about and hidden in-between sheets. Though she had cut her hair short, she continued to dye it in the manner that Stan said made her look like "Someone dumped a bowl of tomato soup on your head." She was dressed in classic Eva clothes: loose night pants, and a camisole. Perched on the blankets in front of her the pink monster CD player sat. A month or so ago, Eva had found herself in need of a laptop. Instead of abandoning the CD player for something new, she converted it to a flip laptop with some scrap she had lying around. The pink device was plugged into a wire that ran down her bed and out a small hole in her wall. If followed, the wire would end in a small dish attached to the roof. It had been easy enough to hook the laptop up to local TV channels, and if Eva ever felt like it, she could hack into satellite. Eva always felt guilty with that on her conscious though, so those times were scarce.

Eva's eyes were glued to the screen. Words flashed by. It was past comprehension. It wasn't possible. Though Eva had the sudden impulse to slam her lap top shut, she was stopped by her addiction. She had to know what else had happened. She clung to the small hope that somehow, in someway, they had been wrong. That it wasn't him. There were the words again. In big bold letters they scrolled across the bottom of the screen, while above terrible images of destruction were shown. CROGS ATTACK NOURASIANS, ROYALTY KILLED! The pit in her stomach threatened to consume her in blackness, and she couldn't breathe. Could Aikka possible be dead? Was his smile, his face, and his friendship, lost forever?

Eva couldn't bare the thought. Her friend, her loved one, gone like that. Her wish had been a waste. When it had finally come down to it, Eva had decided on wishing for the betterment of all.

"I wish for Universal Peace," She told the Avatar in her loudest voice. How naïve she'd been. What a waste of a wish. Her 'Universal Peace' had only lasted a single year. It only succeeded in angering the crogs, and driving them over the edge. They had not only attacked Nourasia, but other surrounding planets as well. Earth had been near the top of the list, and right now Jordan was out there, with many others, fighting for the safety of their planet. Eva wanted to scream and take it all back. If it weren't for her stupid wish none of this would have happened.

A picture on the screen yanked Eva out of her musings. She quickly clicked pause, and studied the picture. The distinct design on his head piece, those blue eyes… Eva prayed that the nourasian pulling others from the rubble was her Aikka. She rubbed the bracelet he had given her with worry. If he was alive, then who had been killed? Eva was relieved to hold the spark of hope that her otherworldly friend was alive, but was that right? Someone else had still suffered that fate. Did it make it any better that it was no one Eva knew? She shook her head. It was just as bad. Before retuning to the broad cast, Eva prayed to whatever entity was listening. _Please, guide their souls to the afterlife, and console their loved ones. _More sober now, Eva returned to her previous engagement, soaking up every bit of information presented. Later, she would learn that it had been a relative of Aikka's named Saikore, but for now, she shivered with the possibility of a dead prince.

It had been a terrible war. Man casualties had been taken on both sides, with the death total reaching well over one hundred million. It must have been one of the bloodiest interplanetary wars in the history of the Milky Way, with at least a dozen planets involved. The crogs were powerful, and driven by their anger and pride. If all their enemies had not decided last minute to work together, they would have surely gained victory. Now the remaining cultures grouped together, using each other as crutches. New found allies meant new trade, and slowly, planets began the long process of rebuilding.

Back on Earth life had continued, war or no war. Eva was now a young woman of the age eighteen. With the end of the Crog War ( as it was now, just months later, being called) interest in racing had once again skyrocketed. Eva was living with her father and manager under the same roof she had grown up under. Stan and Koji, her ever faithful mechanics, had started their own parts shop had worked there whenever they had free time. "Taking care of Eva," They said. "Comes first."

While the rest of the team had been away on Oban, Rick had fallen for a pretty lawyer with a witty personality, and a twisted sense of humor. They were currently married and had a young daughter. To keep the family afloat, Rick has started working as a racing coach. With his superior track record, and his great coaching abilities, Rick soon earned quite a reputation. He and his family were now living rather comfortably.

Though Jordan had wanted to cling to Eva like Stan and Koji, he found himself unable to do so. Since she no longer needed a gunner to defend her (not in the races anyways, off the track was a different matter) Jordan had been forced to re-join the military, and now was a decorated survivor from the Crog War. In recent days, he often stopped by the Wei hanger, or came to watch Eva's races.

To promote friendliness between planets, Earth and Nourasia had recently arranged for a race to take place. The leaders felt that if people came together through sport, they would soon come together through trade and politics as well. To further promote this 'joining', as they called it, they worked up an interesting system to get the teams together. Two racers, each from diverse planets, would work as one and race against another team of racers. The preliminaries were scheduled to take place on Earth (in the race track next to them no less) with the finals on Nourasia. If Eva and her racing partner could get to the finals (which she most likely would, considering how few racers had experience from Oban under their belts) it would give her a chance to talk to Aikka again, or at least see him from a distance.

Eva paced back and forth in front of the Wei hanger. She was wearing bagging black pants with blue stitching, and smothered in pockets. Dark grey tennis shoes peeked out from beneath her pants, and a light blue jacket protected her from the fierce autumn wind. A thousand questions buzzed about in her mind. A week or so ago, Don had explained to her that her new teammate was to be nourasian, but he did not know much besides that. Supposedly, the nourasian would arrive by spacecraft anytime now. What gender was her partner? Did they ride a beetle like Prince Aikka? How skilled were they? The wheels in Eva's head turned as she came up with all sorts of stereotypes. Maybe they had the same personality as Jordan! Or perhaps they looked like Aikka, only were female. The image that popped into her mind caused Eva to giggle, remembering how Koji had first mistaken Aikka for a woman. Her giggles died down as her face grew serious. Or maybe they would be a complete jerk. All Eva could do now was wait.

She didn't have to wait for long because a large spacecraft came down from the grey sky. It was white with copper and bronze lining. It was easily large enough to hold two medium sized star-racers. It landed gracefully not far from where Eva was standing.

"They're here!" Eva shouted into the Wei hanger, signaling her teammates. Don Wei soon stood behind her with arms crossed. Stan and Koji soon followed, ready to help move any heavy boxes. As the engines roared to a stop, a side panel on the transport opened to reveal a door large enough for Eva to fly the Arrow III through. This door soon rolled back like a garage door, and an elderly Nourasian stepped out. He had long silver hair, and typical nourasian garb. He and Don were presently discussing their pilots and the up coming race. He looked oddly familiar.

Stan and Koji immediately got to work moving boxes, and the pilot emerged.

No Way!

The pilot had sky blue eyes and dark tanned skin rivaling Stan's own. He wore clothing rather similar to the outfit Aikka had worn three years back, only no armor, a few more layers (protection against the cold) and boots. He was leading a giant beetle with a white head, and a bright blue shell.

Yes way.

Eva stared openly at Aikka. He was the same prince as three years ago, albeit he had gained six to eight centimeters in height, and wore a different outfit. Then Eva noticed his eyes. They were troubled, as if he bore the weight of hundreds of deaths. Aikka, who had been glancing about at his new settings, suddenly noticed Eva. He stared back at her, as if he could not believe what he was seeing.

"Eva?" He mouthed. She nodded mumly. He dropped G'dar's reigns and made a mad dash for her. As they met each other half way, Aikka caught Eva in his arms and pulled her into a tight hug. "I told you we'd meet again," he whispered in her ear. Though a blush crept on to Eva's face, she snuggled against him, enjoying his warmth for what felt like the first time in forever.

Don Wei cleared his throat, and the two quickly broke apart. Stan and Koji, who had been carring crates back to the hanger, stopped to observe the interaction between the two racers. Eva could tell by the goofy expressions that they would enjoy themselves teasing her for weeks to come. Canaan, for that was the elderly nourasian, had cocked a sinlge eyebrow up in surprise, and played a twisted smirk on his lips; Don, on the other hand, was fuming.

"Er… Dad?" Eva struggled to explain herself. "You remember Aikka from the Great Race of Oban?"

"How could I forget?" Don scowled. An awkward silence followed until Don spoke up. "Eva, there are things I must discuss with Mr. Canaan. I trust you can find your way home?" Eva returned his scowl.

"You said I could have the rest of the day off."

"Yes, and I would appreciate Eva's help unpacking." Aikka chimed in.

"Very Well." Before Eva cold snap back, Aikka drug her off into the hanger.

Eva and Aikka chatted away as the two unpacked, Boxes had to be moved here, and there, and plants had to be carefully placed where they would or would not (in some cases) receive sunlight. Aikka was rather particular about his plants. Some bore fruit and spices invaluable to nourasian food, while others (as Aikka admitted) were simply for decoration. They stopped when Aikka declared them done: the provided dresser drawers were full, the bed made, and every possible surface was covered with plants or books.

"I'll receive scolding from my sister if I don't finish my assigned reading." The Prince explained with embarrassment. Eva knew exactly how he felt. Rick was constantly making her test out new flying tricks, Stan and Koji always had some new tool they wanted her to try out, and ever since Jordan had returned he demanded she start taking defense classes, not to mention her father's continuous ranting about her unlady-like behavior. Eva loved her family dearly, but they were a pain in the butt sometimes. _Scratch that, all the time. _Eva added as Stan and Koji passed by Aikka's doorway, laughing hysterically.

With all the major unpacking done, Eva took Aikka on the tour through the new Wei hanger. Though Don still owned the old building, now that Eva was his primary charge they had downgraded to something smaller, and conveniently located near one of the best racing tracks on Earth. The main hanger was easily large enough to house size Arrow-sized racers. Two slots had been fenced off for G'dar, who was settled comfortably, thanks to Canaan. Next Eva had to show Aikka her new star-racer. It had a pointed nose and two large engines in the rear, with the main body looking something akin to two teardrops smashed together. It was mostly white with yellow highlights and a bright yellow sun painted on the side. Koji had named her the _Reflection_. "She flies depending on the pilot. If the pilot is no good, then neither is she." Stan had explained. Once Eva had gained the feel of her new vehicle, she had taken to calking _Reflection_ 'Sunny'.

Next Eva pointed out a large room to the right side of the hanger. It belonged to Stan and Koji. They had filled it with spare parts and special tools. Their 'Home Away from Home". To the right of the star-racer hanger were Aikka and Canaan's rooms, and a kitchen. If ever Stan and Koji had to pull a full nighter, Eva wanted wanted to make sure they were fed. Plus, with the nourasians here twenty-four/seven, a kitchen was necessary. The floor above held a large conference room, the essential control room, and an open observation deck that, well, observed the race track behind their hanger.

Eva leaned against the cool railing on the observation deck, hoping it would soon warm to her touch. She shivered slightly in her light jacket.

"I think that's it," she told Aikka, concluding their tour. He thanked her and she brushed it aside. "Sure, no problem." Eva took refuge from the cold in the Prince's warmth and leaned against him. This cold reminded her of the feeling she'd gotten after that angsty broadcast. Shivers ran through her body, though this time for different reasons.

"Aikka, do you know anyone named Saikore?" She asked rather casually. Aikka stared at her, surprised.

"Yes, he was my older brother. He was killed in the War of Crogs." Eva winced, kicking herself for asking such a personal question.

"I'm sorry about your loss. I know how it feels to loose a loved one." Eva's eyes were full of sympathy; she knew what the Prince had gone through.

"Even though he died, his death was valiant. He protected my sister and me to the end…" Aikka trailed off; it was as if he was suddenly reliving whatever terrible events had lead to his brother's death. Eva reached out and touched his shoulder, worried. The nourasian jerked out of his trance, and turned to stare Eva down. "How did you gain news of his death?" He asked, as if she was pillaging the memory by simply knowing of its existence.

"An Earth broadcast," she explained, suddenly unable to look Aikka in the eyes. "To tell you the truth, it terrified me." Aikka's grave state had not faded.

"You fear death?"

"No," Eva began, apologetic for ripping the scab off Aikka's wound. "I first assumed that nourasian was you, and after loosing Mom, I didn't want to loose anyone else." Aikka did not know what to say to this, so he remained silent. "I must have been terrible, with your people dying all around you. I wanted so badly to be at your side, so I could soothe you."

"I would not have liked that," Aikka retorted. Eva shrunk further back, and there was now a small space between their bodies. "As bombs dropped around me, and so many died around me, you were my main hope. I pulled through because I knew somewhere you were safe. Somewhere you were unharmed and thinking about me, and I lived for that thought."

"Aikka." Eva buried her face in his chest, and wrapped her arms around him. Aikka cradled her gently, and in reality, they weren't sure who was consoling who.

"Aikka?" Eva mumbled after a long while. She had turned herself around and now glanced at the sky. Aikka stood directly behind her, his arms draped protectively over her shoulders. In the distance the sun reached for the horizon, but just couldn't touch, not yet.

"Yes?" Aikka stared in the same direction Eva did, towards the dancing colors surrounding the receding sun.

"If Nourasia is a mess, what are you doing racing?" The Prince was surprised at the boldness of her question, but only a little.

"Father wouldn't let me at first. He didn't think racing was fitting for a prince."

"But you raced on Oban." Eva pointed out.

"That was a different matter. With the Peace Treaty of Oban, and the Ultimate Prize, Nourasia had no choice but to compete. I just happened to be the best racer at the time." Eva nodded in agreement, that had been the same reasoning of many other palents.

"So how many years had you been racing before you earned that title?" Eva asked playfully.

"Too many to recall," Aikka replied with a grin, and then, with more seriousness, he added, "It became a way to relieve my stress. I would loose myself in flight. After my coming of age ceremony, it became necessary to escape from the new duties given to me." Eva knew that feeling well.

"I still don't see why you were able to race," Eva commented.

"Because if I don't, I will surely falter," Aikka told her. "Also I am not inheriting the throne, so I have a longer leash." Eva practically tied herself in a knot turing to look at him.

"What?!" Aikka sighed, as if he had been forced to explain this a hundred times over.

"According to Nourasian law, the youngest inherits the throne. My sister will be the next ruler of Nourasia. Besides, I am not fitting to be King." Eva scoffed at his last comment. Seeing her reaction, Aikka explained an additional piece of information. "Out of the three of us, me and my siblings, I was always the most rebellious. I could be often caught defiling my parents or running away from my lessons. Canaan says I was quite the handful." Eva let out a snort: nourasian manners had to be the strictest out there. She bet Don Wei would feel right at home with them. Aikka gave her a believe-it-or-not look, and then glanced back at the sunset. As Eva returned to her original position, Eva pulled her closer to him. Words were no longer needed, as the two enjoyed the silence and each other's company.

Eva waved as she headed to the woods to the east of the Wei hanger. From here it was about two miles to the house by road, but through the woods, maybe half that. It soon grew dark, as the sun's last glimmering rays disappeared behind the horizon. But these woods did not frighten her. They had been imprinted in her mind for ages, and Eva weaved expertly along the path she had created from her constant trips back and forth. She was still amazed to be with Aikka again, and shocked at how well they were getting along. She took her time along the way, knowing full well that Don Wei would not be pleased with her late arrival.


	6. Encountering Odd Problems

Bonds

Disclaimer: I really don't own Oban, because if I did, Sul would be a light bulb.

A/N: I'm sorry it took me so long to upload this. I just started Driver's Ed last week, and I have practically no time. Plus, inspiration is getting harder to find. Other than that, thank you for all the nice reviews! Keep reviewing and I'll keep writing!

Chapter Six: Encountering Odd Problems

Aikka blinked as he drifted into consciousness. His room was dark and no light was visible through his curtains. His inner clock told him it was late, but he was unsure whether to trust it or not. Interplanetary travel always messed up his habits a bit. Silently, the Prince slid from his bed and removed a set of fresh clothing from his drawer. Though still half asleep, the Nourasian walked as gracefully as any human dancer would. He left his room, and his bare feet soon touched the cold tile of the bathroom. (Yes there is a bathroom in the Wei hanger. I just forgot to mention it in the last chapter. Sorry) He deposited his dirty clothes on the floor while gently placing his clean ones on the sink's rim. Aikka climbed into the shower and was soon swallowed in the rush of warm water that burst from the shower head. The Nourasian winced at the water. Though he knew it was considered clean, the liquid contained several minerals and various other toxics that he doubted were good for his health. With his head piece removed, he lathered a foaming mixture into his mahogany hair from one of the bottles he had placed there the previous day. As soon as he was as 'clean' as the Earth water would make him, Aikka rubbed a soft towel over his deeply colored skin, and pulled on a fresh outfit. On the way back to his room, he threw his dirty clothes onto his bed, and turned in the direction of the kitchen.

Canaan was waiting for him. A kettle of water steamed over the stove. He handed Aikka a mug of hot liquid.

"Frengrar tea?" (Can anyone tell me what this is from?) Aikka asked as a sweet aroma drifted below his nose. "You know me too well, old friend" The fencing master grinned as Aikka took a deep sip.

"Be gone. Breakfast will be prepared soon." Canaan dismissed his charge from the kitchen with a wave of his hand. Aikka meandered into the hanger. He pet G'dar fondly as he passed. Then, closing the door behind him, Aikka walked out in the dark morning. Before him, the land dropped slightly and yielded up hills and forests. If Aikka looked farther out he could see farm fields stretch out for miles until they were eventually swallowed up by the light of the city. It was perched at the edge of the ocean, and the source of the fog that coated the land in a gentle blanket of mist.

Aikka's wandering thoughts drifted until he was brushed with a memory. Eva's soft body was against his. He could smell the shampoo in her hair and the rough scent of her new star-racer on her clothes. It had been so nice to have her that close to him. He longed to hold her again. He wanted her smell and her warmth. Most importantly, Aikka just wanted to be with Eva again. Whenever they were together, the times were short, and far between. In Aikka's mind it was the cruelest of things, to grow so close to her and then be forced apart with the possibility of never seeing her again. That thought tore him apart. After this race was over, would he ever see Eva again?

_You knew it would happen, _The wise part of his brain commented. _You never should have grown so attached to her. You should break off now, before it's too late. _ But it already was too late. There was no thing in the universe that could cause Aikka to abandon Eva now. He sighed, taking another sip of his tea. Aikka turned and re-entered the hanger. Surely Canaan was finished with breakfast by now.

Aikka perched atop G'dar. Before him, the dry cement of the race track stretched out. It was open and designed in a perfect oval. Encompassing the track were large stands full of empty bleachers. There were large screens perched around the top of the stadium. Only blackness showed on them now. Aikka watched the lights on the skeleton like black pole. Five cylindrical lights lined the center in horizontal order. The furthest left was red, as was the next over. The next two were yellow with the final furthest being green. The left one brightened. After a short period of about two seconds, the light to the right brighten for a similar interval.

"Go when the light turns green," A voice buzzed from the device attached to his ear. Though slightly distorted, Aikka knew it belonged to Eva, who was waving through the yellow tinted glass covering the _Reflection_'scockpit. The headset he now wore allowed him to communicate at all times with both Eva and the Control Room: a handy human trick.

The light blinked green and he urged G'dar forward. Before they could cover very much ground G'dar let out a cry as his delicate wings clipped against the _Reflection_'s fins. Aikka maneuvered his mount to the left, Eva soaring in the opposite direction. For the following minutes, neither racer was at his or her best. G'dar accidentally dumped against the _Reflection_, and in Eva's attempt to move out of the way, she left a large gap between her and Aikka, something an experienced racer would take advantage of.

"Eva! You're racing horribly!" Don Wei's voice was raised, though it had a few more bars to climb before it reached a shout.

"I know, I know." Eva replied with a grumble. She pulled her new star-racer into a spin, narrowly avoiding Aikka. "I'm just off today."

"Off?!" Up a few bars the manager's voice went.

"Just give me a second to synchronize with Aikka," she replied huffily.

"Eva," Aikka's voice broke through the speakers before Don could reply. "I believe I have identified our problem."

"I'm all ears." So his daughter would listen to some Nourasian, but not her own father? Don silently seethed.

"Have you ever raced in unison like this before?" The prince pondered aloud. Eva shook her head. When only silence followed, she grumbled for being an idiot, and replied vocally.

"No, I've only flown in competitions."

"As have I, making me assume that since we are both accustomed to competing, as apposed to working together, our flying is imprecise."

"Then this is a totally different type of racing," Eva concluded, giving the _Reflection _a sudden burst of speed to catch G'dar.

"Precisely, we must alter our flying pattern." Though still sour, Don marveled at how quickly the prince had assessed the situation and composed a solution. With this bright Nourasian, and his talented daughter, he had little to worry about. _Then again,_ He thought as Eva narrowly avoided crashing into Aikka. _We're probably doomed. _

Aikka sat patiently waiting for Eva in the conference room. The long table was made of some wood imitation, and the chairs were wheeled with soft padding. Eva walked in, dumping paper and various writing tools on the desk in front of Aikka. The papers had a slight ting of green. Though humans had recently discovered a way to compress plant fiber (leaves, bark, ect.) in an organic way that was not harmful to the environment, they had not yet discovered a clean bleach to change the paper into a crisp white. Eva was fine with this, the green coloration was far better than all the gallons of toxic chemicals that would have been used for the white look. The pens were obviously not any artist's collection. Among a variety of ball point pens (the type received in junk mail) there were a few nice fountain pens, (stolen from Don Wei) an assortment of random Crayola markers, a blue Copiic marker, and a crayon. Aikka hesitantly selected a pen from the pile, and ran it across the paper with a confused look.

The whole idea behind this meeting was for the two pilots to create maneuvers that would help them work as a team, and give them an edge over their opponents. Seeing Aikka's discomfort, Eva selected a pink pen from the pile and demonstrated for him.

"You click the back," She explained, pushing her thumb down. The classic click noise came from her pen's internal mechanism, and a nib emerged at the bottom. She scribbled her name on the paper in a sketchy manner and held it up to show Aikka. "See?" Aikka followed her example, and ran his pen across the paper.

Nothing happened.

Aikka tried again, only harder this time. Though no ink came from the head, this time it left a small indent in the paper. Perhaps it had already been clicked? Aikka unclicked the pen and ran the plastic along the paper. Growing frustrated, the prince flipped the pen. Had he been using the wrong end? When dragging the pen's end across the paper, the pushed so hard that the end clicked in, and the nib popped up, poking painfully into his thumb. Aikka cursed and dropped the pen.

"Here," Eva handed him a second pen. Cautiously, Aikka expected the pen, and ran through his various checks again. Only this time, he did not flip the pen. This utensil too, left no marks on the paper. Though Eva was entertained just watching Aikka, she didn't want him to become too disheartened. She passed him her own pink pen. Though grateful that this pen actually worked, the Nourasian prince resolved to bring his own writing tool next time.

A familiar figure knocked the back of his knuckles against the large open roll-up doors entering the Wei hanger. His original hair color had been such a dark brown it was commonly mistaken for black. The left half of his head had been dyed a straw blond, in a unique mix. Underneath his baggy camo pants and black boots he had a powerful and well built body. Covering his top was an umber brown jacket with medium phthalo blue (a blue slightly darker than Aikka's eyes) patches. He wore fingerless gloves and stared into the hanger with dreamy deep brown eyes.

"Hey! Is anybody home?" He called into the hanger. His voice had deepened, and seemed somewhat more mature.

"Jordan!" the squeal rang out as bouncing Eva forward and hugged him tightly.

"Whoa! Calm down Eva! I've only got one body!" Jordan said as he slowly pushed away his previous partner with a grin. Eva reluctantly let go of one of the many people she considered to be family.

"So Jordan, What's up? It's been a couple weeks since we last talked." The retired gunner replied with a shrug.

"Not much. I just wanted to stop by, and wish you a good luck on your big race today, before I head over to the stands." Eva gave one of her grins, accompanied by a thumbs up.

"We're gonna kick butt!"

"We?" Jordan asked with puzzlement.

"Yes, Eva was referring to herself and me." Aikka emerged from the shadows. He had just realized with a pang that Eva was wearing the bracelet he had given her back on Oban. She still had it? She liked it enough to wear it? _Of course, _Aikka lied to himself. _It's not like any of that matters. _Other than the bracelet, Eva was wearing a pair of blue jeans adorned in more key chains than Aikka believed possible to own, her same grey tennis shoes, and black hoodie. It had a white star on the front and the words 'WEI RACING' on the black in big bold letters.

"I heard you were racing with Eva now, Princey-Boy. I just wasn't sure if it was true." Jordan attempted to cover himself, while throwing out an old nickname.

"Is that so? You wouldn't be jealous now?" Aikka replied, his lips curling into a smirk.

"A little, but I know Eva would never do anything stupid with the Virtuous Prince." Then Jordan did the unexpected; he pulled Aikka into a head lock and gave him a noogie. But the really weird thing about it was Aikka let him. You would start to think they were friends or something.

Aikka finally pulled away. Though he was frowning, the corners of his mouth twitched, and if had had any less control he would already be smiling.

"You haven't changed at all, Jordan." Jordan returned the grin that was beginning to form on Aikka's face.

"Neither have you. So how are Canaan and your sister doing?" Aikka's smile finally escaped.

"They're both doing fine. Canaan is accompanying me at the moment. How is your mother doing?"

"She's good. She likes to keep me busy running errands and working around her house." Aikka nodded understandingly. Eva's jaw dropped. She was horrified at how friendly they were acting. It was wrong, just plain wrong.

"Uh-Eh…" She sputtered, unable to verbalize just how wrong this situation was. The Nourasian and the soldier turned to look at the flabbergasted pilot.

"When Earth joined forces with Nourasia during the War of the Crogs, Jordan's unit was the one stationed at the Palace. We were forced to get to know each other." Aikka explained.

"You should have seen it, Eva!" Jordan began with a twisted grin. "Aikka came crying to us with his big puppy dog eyes. 'Oh Jordan! Save us from the Crogs!'" In his last comment Jordan's voice was high, in the tone men always use to mock females. Eva expected Aikka to instinctively reach for his dagger (which he currently wasn't wearing) or at least growl at Jordan, but he did neither. Aikka just shook his head, as if Jordan's manner only saddened him.

Through the cockpit of the _Reflection_ Eva could see the fans cheering in the stands, and her first opponents. Their team was made of a Nourasian woman and a Phyl. The Nourasian had long black hair that slapped about in the wind, and rode a large lady-bug-like beetle.

"Finale," Aikka explained, filling her in. "She is a well-known racer on Nourasia."

"But you're better than her?" Eva asked, looking for reassurance.

"Of course," Aikka responded matter-of-factly.

"Do you know anything about her partner?" Eva referred to the Phyl. Unlike most Phyls, the fibers that covered his body were charcoal grey, slowing fading into a sidewalk grey, instead of just pure black.

"No," Aikka replied.

"Stan, Koji? You have anything for us?" Eva questioned her mechanics, who seemed to know a little about everything.

"His profile in the racing data base says he's been racing longer than the two of you've been alive. Let's see… He lost to Spirit in the Interplanetary Finals… nothing else of much use." Koji supplied, the sound of his callused fingers tapping on the keyboard audible over the head set.

"Thanks, Koji. Now we have at least some idea of what we're up against." In the control room Koji grinned. If anyone appreciated praise, it was him.

"Well, you ready to try out this new style?" Eva asked nervously.

"I will be ready when you are."

"Then let's do this!" All racers shot forward at the light blinked green.

Eva spiraled around Finale, leaving her with a clear shot for first place, Aikka right behind her. The Phyl darted forward, separating G'dar and the _Reflection_. Using the opening her partner had created, Finale came forward, pushing G'dar off the track.

"Eva! You're losing the race!" Don Wei shouted into his head piece. He was born with the admirable talent of stating the extremely obvious. Not for the first time, Eva reminded herself to strangle her father when she returned to the hanger. With all thoughts focused on the race now, Eva pushed the _Reflection_ sideways until it was right against Finale's tail. This distraction gave G'dar time to recover. Having finally achieved perfect balance, Eva fell back with Aikka and the two spun around each other in what appeared to be some sort of dance. Like a precision drill, their swirling circle grew tighter until they were finally able to slip in between Finale and her partner. Aikka and Eva widened the diameter of their spiral, and pushed the other racers to the edge of the track. Before they could recover, Eva and Aikka pushed forward at max speed, easily rounding the final corner, and shooting across the finish line.

Like most races, it was over before it even started. Two or more months of preparation put in by the racing committee, for a ten minute event? There were, in fact plenty of more races to go, but the first race of the preliminaries was over and done. As the cockpit shield slid back, Eva smiled and waved at the cheering crowd. Eva's heart slowing returned to beating its normal rate, and her feeling of rush was gone.

"What an excellent race today," the loud speakers of the comment box boomed. "We witnessed and outstanding play. I, for one, am exited to see what other surprises this race holds. Let's give it up for Prince Aikka of Nourasia, and Eva Wei of Earth!" The crowd's cheering skyrocketed. Aikka smiled at the crowd a final time before motioning G'dar to follow Eva back to the hanger.

With a rag in her hand, Eva rubbed away the scratches in the _Reflection. _

"Don't worry, you'll be good as new soon, Sunny." Eva cooed to the star-racer. Aikka watched with amusement. He had just removed G'dar's saddle and was now cleaning his bright shell. Both racers looked up as the graying manager entered the room.

"Though you both still need practice, the stunt you pulled off today was…" He searched for the correct word. "Impressive." Eva and Aikka at their accomplishment as Canaan walked in.

"With such skill, surely they will only improve in their next race? They must grow each time." Canaan added. Don Wei agreed.

"An excellent idea, to keep up your reputation, we will double the training before the next race." The pilots shrunk back when they realized the meaning of his words. Eva grumbled as the scheming adults left.

"Fine, I'll lose next time. What'll you do then?" Aikka chuckled. This was going to be an interesting race.


	7. Running from Terror

Bonds

Disclaimer: Jordan got Aikka hooked on eating corndogs. Yah, I don't own Oban.

Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay. Driver's Ed has been horrible. Starting next week, I'll start driving right after school for two hours straight, and right after that I have a two and a half hour class. Then I have to find time for homework. Since I live at two houses (My mom and ad are divorced) I store everything on my jump drive. To top things off, my jump drive broke, and I lost all my files. I had all my homework on that jump drive, and as a result, I had to re-type all of it. Some was from scratch. With more happiness, I have to thank all my loyal readers. Thank you so much for the reviews!

Chapter Seven: Running from Terror

Eva's legs flopped back and forth in the air like twin fans. Swish, Swish. She was belly down on the deep blue sheets of her bed. With a mechanical pencil gripped firmly in her hand, she made smooth motions across the smudged paper in her notebook. It had been easy, like drawing a circle with a stencil, or making macaroni out of a box. Yah, That easy. Eva had no doubt they would reach the finals, and with only three more wins needed to receive a free ticket to Nourasia, who wouldn't? Though pleased, Eva was shackled with disappointment as well. After the race was over, it was good-bye Aikka. She would bet that some racers would be glad to be rid of their new partners as soon as possible, but not her. No, When Aikka was gone, she would miss him terribly. With every passing day, she learned a little more about the Nourasian Prince. His likes and dislikes, little sayings, and the actions he took; It was all new to her. It had filled her glass of joy little by little, and the dread of loosing all that caused the invisible hand holding her glass to quiver and shake. With a grunt she flipped the mechanical pencil and erased a stray line.

Curled up contently on her back, a small ball of fluff purred. Its short fur was dotted with orange and black tuffs over a white belly, and a soft pink nose. Though Eva couldn't pin point the exact time when she had discovered the little creature, she would guess it was a year or so back. A miserable down pour of icy rain soaked the land, and standing there on the porch had been this poor excuse for a cat. Though Eva knew Don Wei did not approve of small animals in his house, or even animals alone, the racer had taken the cat in anyways. At first it had been her rebellious little secret. She had a cat, Don didn't know the cat existed, and everything was hush-hush. Somewhere along the way Don had found out, but he played dumb. Now, it was an unspoken agreement between the father and his daughter. He would turn his back, and Eva would take care of the cat's every need. Surprisingly, it worked fairly well.

The cat, who Eva had named after the Greek philosopher and play writer, Plato, let out a loud meow. With her free hand, Eva pet her loud cat. Once again, she lifted her eraser to the abused paper, and scrubbed it clean of her most recent markings. She couldn't get him right. The figure on the paper resembled Aikka in his most recent form. Only the face was gone, it had been re-drawn maybe a dozen times. His eyes! They were so difficult. Their intricacy and feel was different, like a song with the same melody, only different notes. It tittered inside her head, notes ringing true. She wanted to pull out the original melody, and compare the two. That was it, time to dig into her old notebooks.

Plato let out a surprised mew as Eva stood up from her bed. Eva stashed away all of the notebooks she'd used through out the years. It was her way of keeping a dairy, watching her improvements and how she'd changed. Her art and her style was part of her, and showed her personality. Eva dug through the shelves, and soon the once clean room was coated in books and papers. An agonized groan escaped her lips as she realized the oldest of these dated only a year back. Eva would have to excavate her really old notebooks, stored somewhere within one of the many boxes in the Wei's over crowed basement.

The Earth pilot took the stairs two at a time, her stockings sliding dangerously across the carpet. She landed with a soft thud in the entrance way. To her left, the front door and the kitchen, and to her right, the garage and the stair way leading to the basement. Eva was about to turn toward the right when something caught her eye.

For some unknown reason, the picture frames lining the walls fascinated her. It was one of those things that though you see every day, yet for some reason you never really noticed them before. The first picture that captured her attention was the group picture taken on her eighteenth birthday. There was her, Stan, Koji, and Jordan. Everyone wore big grins, and Eva gave out a peace sign. It was Jordan who stood out. When looking over at the picture taken of the whole Erath Team right after Oban, one would notice the changes in Jordan. He no longer seemed as childish, a somehow smiled differently. It was as if he truly relished these happy times.

_Jordan Too? _Eva thought as she looked the photographs over. _Why did they both change? _It struck her like a rock in a still pond. The experience they had both shared. _War,_ It told her as the rock plunked through the water tension. It carried the story of it all on the ripples. The pain of watching your comrades dies around you. The pure hatred of killing. Kill or Die.

"Eva?" The father's voice pulled her from the depth of the pond. Slowly, she turned to face the manager who was graying more each day.

"Dinner time already?" She asked him.

"It should be, but…" Don looked down at the clean carpet in embarrassment. "I didn't learn my lesson last time I tired to cook tuna casserole."

"Let's see what we can do to fix it." Eva gave her father a warm smile. One of their favorite things to do together was cook. Since neither of them was superb (at anything besides breakfast anyway) they used it as a bonding experience. They were joined by food.

As Eva walked toward the kitchen, she glanced back sadly at the basement stairs. Her comparison would have to wait.

* * *

The crowd screamed their lungs out as Eva and Aikka flew across the finish line. This was it. Just two more wins. G'dar settled down, closing his shell as the _Reflection_'s engines hummed to a stop. The fans could control themselves. Their loud shouting and cheering drown out even the announcer's voice. Somewhere in their crazed frenzy, a group (mainly girls) rushed over the barricades, and onto the racing field. There were too many for the police to control. They swarmed Aikka, their loud squeals only broken by the calling out of his name.

"Aikka! Prince Aikka!"

Aikka was frozen. He couldn't move for pure terror. They surrounded G'dar like a crowd of locusts, or those mindless zombies from one of Jordan's horror stories. Slowly, they crawled up the beetle's sides in a mass of bobbing heads and ringing voices. No where to go. Soon G'dar would be swallowed entirely. The fan's hands reached closer, trying just to touch Aikka. One measly finger would be enough.

"Oy!" The voice rang above the hordes. It differed from the other voices, with a sense of uniqueness and familiarity. Aikka turned his head sky ward to see the _Reflection _hovering above him. His salvation came in Eva's outstretched hand. With some struggle, she pulled him off G'dar and into the cockpit behind her.

Unlike the _Arrow_, this star-racer had been built specifically for Eva and her needs. Instead of using her rocket seat, a look-a-like had been built in, and was actually part of the racer. The cockpit was also much smaller, with little extra space for passengers, and almost nothing one could hold on to without hindering Eva's control.

She pulled the _Reflection _higher in the air, and out of the screeching fans reach. Their shouts of love grew into raging shrieks in their protested against Aikka's rescuer. As Eva turned back to the hanger, the fans removed themselves from the giant beetle to follow Aikka's new form of transportation. Pleased to be finally feel freedom again, G'dar unfurled his wings and took off after Eva.

"Hang on!" Eva told her companion as she gave the machine gas. As speed gained, Aikka grabbed out for the first thing that would hold him steady. That thing just happened to be Eva's waist. He held on to her for dear life as Eva flew back to the hanger at top speed. G'dar neatly passed them, and entered the Wei hanger: he knew the way home.

"Aikka, as soon as I come through the door, you're going to jump out and shut it behind me. Got it?" Eva's eyes did not avert from her target as she spoke.

"For what reason?" the Nourasian asked her.

"I don't think Don or Canaan will appreciate your fan girls in the hanger," Eva retorted. Aikka took a quick glance behind him. Sure enough, the fans were following them like a stampede of cows. Before Aikka could reply, the glass rolled back, and the mouth of the hanger loomed straight ahead. "Jump!" Eva shouted.

Releasing his hold on Eva, Aikka skillfully leapt from the cockpit, over the _Reflection_'s fins, and into the air. With both hands gripped tightly around the garage's door handle, Aikka yanked with all his might. With a groan it rolled down, slamming into the floor just as the _Reflection_ passed. Twin shocks of pain ran through Aikka's boots and into his legs. Before he took the time to shake them out, however, he locked the door and hobbled to the opposite end of the hanger to make sure all the doors were locked as well. Once this was done, he slumped down against the roll-up door and rubbed his aching feet.

Bang! Bang! The Nourasian jumped with a start and dragged himself away from the door, dismayed at what knocked on the other side. Before her star-racer's engine had even completely shut down, Eva was at his side.

"Are you alright?"

"I will recover," He answered with an apologetic smile. Eva returned it with one of her own bright ones, and hauled Aikka to his feet. As if suddenly realizing her hands were in his, Aikka watched a blush creep onto her face. He seized the opportunity, and before she could pull her hands away, he planted a soft kiss on her stared cheek.

The two hovered there for a moment gazing deeply into each others eyes. Unfortunately, this happy moment did not last long, as they were interrupted by an argument from each side's respective mentors.

As it turned out, on Nourasia, fans showed support for their favorite racers or actors by coming to every race or performance, waving banners, and presenting the one of honor with gifts and flowers. Obsessive fanning was considered unhealthy, and unorthodox. The few who did choose to follow this path were silenced before they could cause much trouble. To put it in simpler terms, imagine living in a house where meat was considered bad for you, and despised, and then visiting a meat-loving house. Father and daughter were forced to explain that this behavior was normal, and often the fans were considered more dangerous than the race.

The final step they had taken to ensure Aikka's safety was to beg Jordan to act as a body guard of sorts to keep the hanger secure. He found the whole thing hilarious. Aikka's fan girls were so dangerous that he had to be called in to protect the Prince.

And just like that, Jordan became part of Eva's daily life again. He would appear here and there, and watch over both pilots. Just like in old times, the ex-gunner seemed to fit in perfectly. It was as if all this time Eva had been eating a sandwich, only she finally discovered she had forgotten to put on condiments. Jordan's arrival was the newly added condiments before Eva continued her consumption. Even Aikka had no problem, though as he admitted later; he did miss all the one-on-one time with Eva.

A/N: This chapter is much shorter than the others. I wanted to update what I have before I loose total control of my life.

EDIT: I tired to upload this on Saturday night. But it wouldn't let me submit! . I've tried every day since then, and finally, today it works! Thank the Avatar!


	8. Breaking the Mended

Bonds

Disclaimer: The Flying Temples are really made out of porcelain and bubble gum. Of course I don't own Oban. Sav! The World does.

Author's Note: Yay! I finally got this chapter done!! It took me what, a week and a half? Oh well, at least it's finally done.

I was looking at _Moon and Star_ by Lupe191919. It has ten wonderful chapters, and yet only 30-ish reviews! It's a wonderful fic, with in-depth characters, plenty of humor, and an interesting twist. If you haven't read it already, I recommend you do so!

Big thanks are awarded to Spellcaster Hikaru who helped me straighten out my own ideas, and gave me a few to toy with. You're the reason I actually have this chapter done.

To everyone else you reviewed, I owe you all my utmost thanks. You guys keep me going. I wouldn't still be writing without you. So, without further ado, here's the story.

Chapter Eight: Breaking the Mended

It had stuck Aikka like one of his own arrows, as soon as she had uttered those words. The pain of it all spread through his entire body, leaving behind a dull ache, and points, which if pressed would destroy Aikka from the inside out. He had placed his trust in her, his entire soul and being, and now look at him. With one minor offense he backed away like a whipped dog. But it had no been so minor to Aikka. It had been sudden, to him like a tidal wave of reality. She had given him a weak smile and simply explained,

"I fell down on my way home." A black eye, ugly bruises along her arms, her sore jaw: these were symptoms of a simple trip over some bush and rocks? He had known she was lying. It was easy enough to tell. The others in the hanger knew it as well. Something was not right with their Eva, but she refused to let any of them help.

This was more painful for the Nourasian Prince than the others. Had he not held her close? Did he not feel closer to her than anyone else? He couldn't understand. With every possible scenario played out in his head, he felt hopeless. Why would Eva lie to him? He had supported her back on Oban, and talked to her on Earth. What more could he do? How had he lost the trust of the woman he held so dearly?

* * *

_Rather sloppily, Eva tied the large brown paper bags full of produce to her rocket seat with bungee cords. The city she now stood in was called Trophy Point, better known as Racing City. Countless races had been held here, and after a time it had become a thriving metropolis, and one of the most diversely specied cities on Earth. To the northwest was Trophy Point's sister city Port Gonaitchu, (say that ten times fast) the main point for trade by sea, space, and air. To the east, the coastline starched out easy to see from Trophy Point's high elevation. _

_Though the original racing track was located in the center of the city, it had grown too small for the public's needs. Due to the lack of space within the city, the new track had to be built at the very edge of city limits. Besides all the hangers, not much else was given time to sprout, leaving Eva to enjoy the dense woods surrounding both her home and Trophy Point a while longer._

_As the young woman continued to struggle with the bungee cords, fierce winds promised a storm. She wished she had worn something heavier. Normally autumn Saturday afternoons didn't get this cold, but obviously the weather had different ideas. With the paper bags finally secure, Eva pulled her hands deeper into her sleeves. The sweater was a light magenta with creamy yellow edging, and the symbol of the Earth Team embroidered on the back. It had been a gift from Setis. Everyone who had flown in the finals on Oban had gotten one of the complementary sweaters, even Jordan and Furter's crew. Eva would give her left shoe to see Aikka in his (or Kross for that matter) but he explained to her that he no longer had it, or it was back on Nourasia. With every new excuse, the nosy Earth girl became even more determined to find his sweater. _

_She was ready to start up her rocket seat when an ominous shadow loomed over her. She turned to face six angry girls. Eva guessed their ages ranged from fifteen to seventeen and they all looked rather vicious, like a Crog having a bad hair day. (A time which, as Aikka said, you didn't want to cross them.) The oldest one came forward, apparently she was the leader. She had dark brown hair with blond highlights and light clothing. Eva couldn't help but wonder if she was cold in her short shorts. _

"_You're Eva Wei, Prince Aikka's racing partner," She stated. Her voice was slick and sticky sweet. This was going to get messy. Fan girls were one thing, but jealous fan girls were on a completely different level of scary. _

_Eva replied as any irritated teen would. "Yah, What's it to you?" Eva then realized that the lead girls anger must work something like an inner heater, explaining why she could wear such skimpy clothing in this weather. _

"_Prince Aikka belongs to us fans. You don't disserve him." Eva strongly disagreed with both statements, and told them so. She was curious about just how these girls had found out about her close relationship with the Prince. A few days back, some news cast had interviewed both pilots. Though Eva hadn't thought that the tiny article itself had said anything about the two being closer than friends, fan girls could take anything out of a paragraph or two like that. Then again, maybe just being friends was all the reason the girls needed. _

"_You're not even that talented! You just steal Aikka's glory!" Another girl had to put in her two cents. If they wanted to piss Eva off, that comment had been just the one to do it. _

"_And so what? At least I'm not a stupid obsessed girl who Aikka doesn't even know exists!" She shot back. Ouch, that had to hurt, and badly. Thinking back now, Eva decided that it hadn't exactly been the smartest thing to do, considering they out numbered her six to one. _

_The girl who had provoked Eva earlier was the first to react. She had carrot-top hair which she wore in bouncing pig-tails, and every centimeter of her exposed pale skin was soaked in freckles. Eva had not expected her to posses any sort of strength, so when the red-head's fist impacted with her jaw, she stumbled backwards in surprise. This bold action was like a match to gasoline, and soon another girl darted forward. She had dark brown skin, and wore her jet black hair back in a sort of dreadlock-ish style. She was wearing a basketball jersey over a long sleeved blue shirt, and sweatpants. Her hit stuck Eva's left eye and it immediately swelled shut. The girl raised her fist to strike again and the condemned pilot ducked. She dove under the fist and straight into a young Phyl. _

_Though they had no language of their own, Phyls had developed a highly evolved from of telepathy. They communicated through showing mental pictures to those they wanted to 'talk' with. Just like speech, most young Phyls did not have the ability to communicate until they had learned from their parents. To keep from being completely helpless young Phyls could express their needs through strong mental feelings. If a baby Phyl was upset, everyone around that Phyl at the time would suddenly be overcome by the strong feelings of the youngster. As Phyls grew, they learned to control who they submitted feelings to, and soon could change to images. It was surprising what you could learn on the 'net. _

_Before Eva could react she was smothered by an intense pain in her stomach. It washed over her entire body, soaking into the very fiber of her being. It squeezed her heart and stole the air from her lungs. It was the most powerful thing Eva had ever felt. _

_This was hate._

_The young Phyl girl was telling the pilot just how much she hated her, and Eva was rendered defenseless by the experience. All she could do was curl up in a ball on the ground, and wish it to stop. _

_The twin oriental girls took this as their chance to inflict punishment on Eva. They kicked her still form mercilessly with twisted grins. Finally, it was time for the leader to take her vengeance. She hauled Eva up by the collar of her sweater, and slammed her against one of the alley walls. Eva stared at her with an unfocused eye._

"_If you don't get way from our Aikka, What we'll do to you will be much worse than this." Satisfied with her warning, the girl turned and left. The others followed like a flock of ducklings. Eva struggled to her feet. Her head wouldn't stop pounding, and she couldn't seem to regain her breath. Of all of the hits she had taken, the Phyls mental assault had done the most damage. If the Phyl hadn't been there she would have stood a chance. At least she thought so. _

_It had been rather difficult to get back home. She was in no condition to drive her rocket seat, but what other choice did she have? All of her money had gone to groceries so she couldn't catch a taxi or ride the train. She would have walked, but that would take forever, and Eva did not want to be alone on the city streets at night. Sure she was courageous and an adventurer, but she wasn't an idiot. It wasn't safe for someone her age, regardless of fame, positive or negative. _

_When she finally shut off the rocket seat in the safety of her own garage, she had nearly hit four various objects and/or cars, and almost fallen off the rocket seat twice. She could barely see, and had quite a difficult time messing about with the bungee cords. It took a full fifteen minutes to free the sacks and stumble into the house door. _

_Don was on the other side with a worried expression. Eva had taken much longer to buy groceries than normal, and Don was acting as any parent would. His worry must have tripled when he saw the state Eva was in. After the groceries were set on the counter, and Eva was sitting at the table with an ice patch over her eye, he demanded an explanation. In the end, Eva gave in and told him the whole story. However, she had one condition; her father couldn't tell Aikka or any of the team. She knew Aikka would blame himself, and her overprotective body guard and mechanics would blame him as well.  
_

* * *

"You sure this doesn't have anything to do with how you got that black eye?" Jordan asked. No matter what Eva did, she couldn't stop her teammates from being curious. Even now as she asked Jordan to teach her self-defense, he was rather suspicious about why she had suddenly changed her mind about learning to fight. He immediately linked these new unknown reasons to her injuries. They had began to heal, but she still wore a deep purple ring around her left eye, though she could see out of it now. 

"Do my reasons even matter? You promised me you'd teach me how to fight, so here I am!" Eva explained, emphasizing the last words by throwing her arms about dramatically to indicate that she was, in fact, standing in front of Jordan. He knew by now that there was no way to get anything else out of her. Jordan sighed and began his lesson. He showed her a few basic punches, kicks, and even a few breathing exercises.

"Never doubt the breathing exercises," He told her. "You'd be surprised just how useful they can be. And remember to practice them before you go to bed. After a while they'll become habit."

* * *

Though it had been rather close, Aikka and Eva managed to pull off a win at the last second, and won the fifth race. The security had increased since their last race, and this time no screaming fans were able to make it out on the race track. However, this did not stop Aikka from being cautious. He did not allow G'dar to rest until they had reached the hanger. 

In a similar manner, Eva did not wave to the fans, or even allow her cockpit glass to fall away. No on wanted to see a girl with a black eye, and besides, Eva wasn't sure if she wanted to wave at fans who would go to such lengths to get at their obsession.

* * *

Aikka settled down in the hammock set up on the main hanger. Back and forth the hammock rocked, slowly, almost hypnotically. Aikka glanced at the words of the pages of his book, but he was not reading them. His thoughts were far way from the novels topic. For the last few days, a feeling of uneasiness settled over Aikka. It paused in his stomach, almost anxiety for events to come. He and Eva hadn't talked much since she had opened her mouth and lied to him. Whenever the proud prince tried to talk to her he felt awkward, and out of place. Because of this, their racing had suffered. He feared that if something did not happen between them soon, they would not make it to the finals. Not because either racer lacked ability, but because of the feelings dividing the two. 

Before Aikka could dig deeper into his thoughts, the voice of his fencing master stirred him.

"Prince Aikka, G'dar has yet to enjoy fresh air, and it is already nightfall." Canaan was referring to Aikka's daily ritual of taking his beetle on a walk for some fresh air. In the wild, Giant Beetle's spent over seventy percent of their waking time flying. Since G'dar was constantly cooped up, walking him everyday was necessary regardless of practice or racing that day.

Aikka sighed and set down his book, but before he could even pull his stocking feet into his boots, Eva butted in.

"I could take him for Aikka today. I'd be no problem, really. Some fresh air would do both of us some good." She grinned at the blue and white beetle, who responded with a loud squeak.

"If the Prince has no problem…" Canaan gave Aikka a questioning glance.

"I see nothing wrong with it," Aikka responded. He trusted Eva with G'dar, even if she did not trust him.

The troubled Nourasian leaned down to pick up his book again. He flipped through a few pages before realizing he had held the wrong book all this time. He slipped on his sturdy boots, and left the hammock. He was in the process of turning the corner when his keen ears stopped him. Nourasian ears were larger than those of a human, and therefore far more perceptive. Further down the hallway, Don Wei was talking to Jordan.

"-Follow her closely. Just make sure she stays out of trouble." He was saying.

"Sir, does this have anything to do with whoever beat her up so badly?" asked Jordan curiously.

"Never mind that, just follow her!" Don refused an explanation, and left Jordan hanging, as usual. Aikka could hear his footsteps coming toward the corner where he was standing. Quickly Aikka flipped to a random page in his hardback book, and pretended to be engaged in the words. He looked up as the manager passed.

"Good Evening," Aikka stated with a nod.

"Yes, Good Evening to you," the man replied before continuing to wherever Don spent his time. As soon as Eva's father was gone, Aikka quickly went to find Jordan. The ex-gunner was standing in the room that he and Aikka now shared, pulling on a jacket.

"Jordan," Aikka began, looking him in the eyes. His tone was as serious as it would go. "Do not follow Eva."

"But, What? Why?" Surprise and Confusion was written all over his face.

"Anything involving Eva is my personal responsibility. I will take care of her." This was Aikka's resolution. There was no backing down now.

"Why do you get to look after her? I care about Eva too y'know." Jordan wasn't about to trust Aikka with Eva just yet, regardless of his current opinion of the Prince.

"Jordan, I need to do this." Aikka was pleading now.

"Fine, but what's so important about going after her alone?" Jordan grumbled. When Aikka could not seem to find the correct explanation, the dual-haired man smirked. "You just want to be alone together, don't you?" Jordan's teasing received the intended results, for Aikka's face blushed scarlet.

"I do not think of Eva in that manner!" He told the floor. Jordan didn't buy it. The floor didn't buy it. Heck, he didn't even believe it himself.

Shaking his head sadly, Jordan made a further comment. "Tsk, Tsk. You're suppose to be the Virtuous Prince. What's going to happen to your reputation now?" Aikka left the room after throwing his book at Jordan, and grabbing his own jacket. Jordan's laughter echoed behind him. He liked to think of this as payback for all the things Aikka had done to him. Neither Jordan nor Aikka noticed that Aikka's jacket was magenta with cream edging.

* * *

Click, Click. G'dar's feet made soft clicking noises against the concrete as he and Eva made their way through the maze of hangers. The whole area was lighted so neither had trouble seeing. Eva would have preferred the dark. With the stars above her, she required no extra light. On the other hand, it was nice to be out in the clean night air. It had become unbearable inside the hanger. Aikka was angry with her, and so was everyone else. By taking the burden off Aikka, she had placed an even larger one on herself. Eva was beginning to wonder if she had made the correct decision.

It was here that G'dar let out a loud screech, indicating that something was wrong. She turned to see six vicious 'somethings' surrounding her and G'dar. They were backed into the walls of two hangers that met at a perpendicular angle. Eva cursed.

(In the section that follows, Aikka's fan girls use rather vulgar language. I personally don't approve of their use of curses, so instead of repeating it, I'd rather substitute it with nonsense. Anything italicized from this point on is a substitute for real words.)

"You _old pancake spelunking in a field of doughnuts_!" The lead fan girl with the highlights spat. " We told you to keep _sea urchin dancing with Santa Cause _away from Aikka! That means to quit racing with him!" She advanced closer, and if she had been portrayed in an anime or manga, she would be drawn will flames surrounding her.

"Look, you can't tell me what to do! It doesn't matter how badly you beat me up: You'll never even get at chance with Aikka," Eva countered defiantly.

"You _handy, dandy, pancake maker_!" She screamed, outraged. The other girls soon advanced around her, preparing for the strike.

* * *

Aikka had been following Eva closely when she was surrounded by strange girls. He realized what they were as soon as they began their explosion. These were his fan girls, and also the ones who had put Eva in such a state. There had never been a time in Aikka's life where he felt guiltier. The girls attacked Eva because they idolized him. It was his entire fault. If only he'd seen it sooner, maybe he could have protected Eva. The Prince was certain of one thing, however. He wasn't going to let them hurt Eva again, But someone else got to her first.

* * *

"Skree!" The shout came from G'dar. Apparently, he'd had enough of these crazed girls threatening Eva. He hissed at the fan girls who immediately backed away.

"What _in the name of orange coffee_?!" One of the oriental girls cursed as G'dar attacked them. The beetle chased them off, opening up his giant shell and unfurling his wings to grow to his greatest height. He snarled at the girls, and nipped at the backs of their shirts. Had they been just a smidgen slower, he surely would have squished them.

When he finally returned Eva gave him an appreciative smile. "Thanks G'dar, you're a life saver." The beetle snorted in response. Eva was about to head back to Wei Hanger when G'dar grabbed her by the back of the sweater. "Hmm? What is it?" The beetle opened his wings, as if he was trying to indicate something to the stupid human. It took Eva several tries to determine the giant beetle's point. "You want me to ride you?" She asked in amazement.

The beetle squeaked. Eva scrambled up his bare shell, and looked for a place to sit. The best spot seemed to be behind the first horn on top of his white head. She gripped on to it tightly as the huge creature took flight into the night air. As the air flow rippled through Eva's short hair, she realized just what it felt like to be free; just what it felt like to have no burden or worries. Not even her star-racers compared to this. She let out a shout of delight, and enjoyed the experience.

* * *

Aikka wandered slowly back to the Wei hanger. His thoughts were confused and unfocused. Why hadn't Eva told him? Surely he could have done something? He shut the door behind him as he entered the large structure. Eva turned as he came in.

"Hey Aikka, You want to spar with us?" Everyday, Jordan spent an hour to a half to teach Eva fighting and self defense. According to Jordan, she was learning extremely quickly, and already had down the basic kicks and punches. Aikka tossed his sweater at Jordan (who easily caught it), and gave Eva a nod. This was the most communication he allowed himself; for fear that he would explode in anger.

They both bowed to each other, and the match began. Eva was the first to strike, with jabs from her left fist. Aikka noticed that she had not yet learned to match her footwork with her attacks. He would have to mention something to Jordan later. The Nourasian easily evaded the jabs and the strong right that followed. She flew past, carried by the force of her punch. Aikka caught her with ease, and threw the surprised pilot to the ground. Eva, who obviously hadn't learned how to recover from a fall either, rubbed her sore behind reluctantly.

"Ow, You didn't have to throw me that hard Aikka." The earthen froze as soon as she saw the face of her partner. His hands were clenched, and his entire body was shaking. He could no longer contain himself.

"What possessed you to not tell me?! Why did you leave me in the dark?" One could tell Aikka was slowly inching out each word as a last ditch effort to regain his posture.

Eva frowned. "I'm afraid I don't follow."

"The girls who attacked you, why did you not tell me about them? They idolized me, and therefore it was my responsibility to deal with them. It was my fault."

"You followed me?" The puzzle pieces were coming into place.

"What other choice did I have?!" Aikka shouted, flinging his arms in a downward motion, indicating his fury. "You refused to tell me anything! My only option was to follow you! If G'dar hadn't been there… Next time it could have been worse!"

Eva paused, looking down at the concrete floor. "This is exactly why."

"So then I am in the mistaken to worry for your safety?" It was more of a statement than a question, a jab to Eva's argument.

"No, But…"

"What do you wish to interject about? Is it so wrong that I care for you? We all care for you. That is why we worry. Surely, you must know that." Why didn't she understand what Aikka was trying to say?

"Pincey's got a point there," Jordan pointed out. Until now, he had been watching safely from the sidelines. Eva shot him one of her famous glares.

Aikka thanked Jordan through eye contact before continuing. "Both Jordan and myself care deeply about your welfare. When you take burdens on yourself, you really just hand out burdens for those who hold you dear." Jordan nodded in agreement. Eva finally gave up, and accepted the hand Aikka offered to her.

"Whatever," She looked away as she dusted off her pants.

"What was that?" Aikka cupped a hand to his ear.

The female pilot sighed. "Alright, I won't be such a jerk in the future."

Aikka grinned as his eyes softened. "That is what I wished to hear. Now, I believe we were sparring?" Aikka and Eva continued their match; past forgiven, though not forgotten.

This however, did not last very long, as Aikka discovered the full extent of Eva's knowledge. She had only started, what, three days previous? In the end, Aikka and Jordan spent the remaining time improving Eva's skills. This dragged on into the night until they received a nasty call from Don Wei over the hanger phone. His message explained that Eva had better get home on the double. She quickly hopped onto her rocket seat and bid the boys a goodnight with a wave before disappearing into the dark forest.

A/N: And yes, this chapter was rather long. I couldn't find the appropriate spot to cut it, so I left it as was.


	9. Experiencing Christmas

Bonds

Disclaimer: I don't own Oban, yada yada yada. If I did O would really speak through repetitive Ohing.

A/N: Sorry I took so long to update. You'll all be happy to know, I just finished Driver's ED, so I'm finally free again. The other reason this chapter took so long was because I was working on a one-shot JordanEva fic. I spent like forever on it.

Anyways, this chapter is going to be a sort of special. I was planning to write this story originally as a One Shot, but I later realized that it would be rather difficult to explain all changes I've done to the original story line without Bonds to back me up. So let us just take Bonds, jump through a plot hole to Christmas Time, place Aikka back on Nourasia, and call everything peachy, okay? I promise to return back to the original story line afterwards, but for now it's time for my Christmas Special!

Chapter Nine: Experiencing Christmas

Outside, the snow slowly coated the ground in a layer of frozen white in the blackness. With Eva's every breath, a layer of fog condensed on the window. She watched the flakes as the fell, one by one by one. Outside the white lights that clung to the roof illuminated the scene for her. Though Eva had hung the lights nearly a month ago, this must have been the prettiest she had seen them yet.

Downstairs she could hear rustling in the living room. It must be one of the boys placing their gifts for everyone under the tree. It was a ritual in the Wei household. Instead of spending Christmas Eve and morning by themselves Stan, Koji, and Jordan would spend the night and exchange presents with the Wei's on Christmas morning. It was one of the many things the Earth team did to keep together as a strong team.

Snowflakes drifted past the window. As Eva's wandering eyes followed the snowflakes in their eternal dance, she could feel her self begin to droop. An enormous yawn escaped her lips as she realized just what time the clock showed. Giving in to her fatigue, Eva crawled over to her bed and wrapped the blankets about her. Though her eyes were closed, she was not blessed with the calming sleep for an hour or two to come. There was a feeling of anxiety that kept her a wake, a premonition of what was to come the following day.

Christmas Day, to be exact.

* * *

When morning came, Eva grabbed a few fresh clothes, took a quick shower before racing downstairs to help Don Wei prepare breakfast. It was nearly completed when the sound of the three boys racing down the stairs could be heard. They flew past the kitchen, and into the living room beyond, where many decorative presents sat beneath the tree. 

"Breakfast before presents, boys!" Don Wei called to the three who were already swarming the tree like flies.

"C'mon Dad! It's Christmas, breakfast can wait!" Eva declared joyfully, grabbing her father's hand, and dragging him to the boys. Stan and Jordan were at work dividing up the presents. Koji sat and watched with amusement as they tried to decipher each other's hand writing.

"This one looks like it's for Eva." Stan said as he squinted at the markings on the small tag.

"No, it says Koji. See?" Jordan attempted to point out.

"There is no way that curly mark is a K." Stan stuck with the evidence. Eva settled the dispute by taking the box to Don (who had been the one responsible for the small package) who deciphered his own handwriting to say "To Stan". From then on, Stan and Jordan let the manager pass out the presents.

"What about that box?" Koji replied to the question of whether everything was finally in correct order. The entire Earth Team turned their heads to look at a very large box sitting, half hidden, under the tree. As Eva bent over to examine it, she noted that it was remarkably large, large enough; in fact, it fit a medium sized human. Eva tugged at the box, realizing it was fairly heavy. In the end, both Jordan and Stan had to assist her in dragging it to the center of the room. The tag read: "For my dear Eva, I do hope you enjoy this." However, no one had signed the from space, and Eva could not identify the handwriting. It wasn't her father's cursive, Jordan's sketchy block letters, Koji's scribbles, or even Stan's liney capital letters.

"You should open that one last," Koji suggested.

"Yah, It could be a sort of finale," Jordan agreed.

"Why not?" Eva ended up agreeing. It made sense after all. Gift opening proceeded. Instead of the calm orderly opening of one present at a time that Don had suggested, the boys ripped out their presents in a massive furry.

Colored paper flew everywhere.

The living room carpet was covered in it. Don had given up trying to pick it all up, and just threw his arms up in frustration. Eva giggled with amusement. She knew they would all be forced to clean up the paper later, but she enjoyed the mess while it lasted. Finally, after many presents, and a thousand Thank yous, the only thing left to open was the giant present.

"Well, go on, open it," Don urged. Eva nodded, and began to rip the paper off to reveal:

A plain looking cardboard box.

Eva looked at it suspiciously before ripping off the tape that kept the box closed. To her surprise, there, laying in the box with a rather amused look on his face was none other than Prince Aikka. Eva let out a squeal rival to that of any fan girl and practically mauled Aikka as he tried to sit up. Don looked horrified. How could anyone be so evil has to hide his daughter's close male friend in a harmless looking Christmas present? Stan and Koji were laughing, while Jordan explained to them the fine details of how he had accomplished such a feat. Aikka, on the other hand, struggled for air.

As Jordan explained over breakfast, the ploy to hide Aikka in a Christmas present for Eva had not been accomplished solely by him; both Stan and Koji had been involved as well. Eva hugged them all for this. It had to be the best Christmas Present she had ever received.

* * *

After breakfast, it was decided that the snow outside would not be left to melt without some use. Everyone (excluding Don Wei of course) pulled on warmer clothes and headed for the door. Though Eva was at first worried that Aikka would not be prepared, she soon discovered that Aikka had not simply been shipped from Nourasia in a package. He had flown via space shuttle with his necessities and a few extra clothes, and had later been stuffed in a box and set under the tree. With that taken care of, the five were soon romping about in the cold white snow. 

"This snow's no good for packing," Stan observed as chunks of white snow fell from between his gloves to the ground. "It'd be impossible to use this for anything except…" He grinned at Koji.

"SNOWBALL FIGHT!" The mechanics shouted in unison as Jordan fell victim to their first projectiles. Aikka and Eva immediately ran for cover behind the birch and oak trees that surrounded the Wei house. Eva had learned from experience that both Stan and Koji were amazing when it came to snowball fights. Whether it was because Koji (having a big family) had learned from his many siblings, or that the area they were both raised in was white nearly all winter long, the fact still remained that together they were nearly invincible when it came down to the snow.

Eva winced as a snowball hurtled inches from her left ear. If she didn't act fast, this was going to end up as a slaughter. She raced zigzag across the fresh snow, pausing only to grab handfuls of snow and toss it behind her as a sort of smokescreen. Once she had created substantial distance between herself and the skilled mechanics she began to form plan. It involved Jordan, Aikka, and a very large pile of snowballs. She shaped two snowballs before venturing out back the way she had come.

Aikka was the first to be found. Though he was holding his own against Koji, Eva noticed that his aim wasn't very accurate. This could possibly be because he had never actually thrown a ball of this particular weight before. Eva threw her own snowball. It stuck Koji's face, and Eva used this distraction to lead Aikka away. She explained her plan to him, and he agreed.

When Jordan stumbled into them, he was coated in a light layer of snow and his hair was wet. He looked rather disgruntled and bore a frown.

"Stan pinned me down from behind and they whitewashed me." He explained at Eva's questioning glance.

"You up for a little revenge then?" Eva took Jordan's misfortune as an advantage to fuel her little plan. It was simple, Jordan would be used as bait and lead them through the front yard and into a small section of trees where Aikka and Eva would be waiting to ambush them.

"Hey, why do I have to be the bait?" Jordan protested. It was beneath him, or so he thought.

"They'll follow you. You're obviously a weak target," Eva explained.

"What?!"

"You don't see me or Aikka getting whitewashed," She pointed out with a smug grin. Jordan grumbled and made a few further weak protests, but it was clear that Eva had won the argument.

Aikka and Eva moved into position was started making snowballs. Everything seemed to be working fine, until Jordan came running back.

"I can't find them anywhere," He explained. "It's like they're just not-" Jordan didn't get to finish his sentence, as all three of them were pelted from behind. Though Aikka and Eva escaped the snowball onslaught, Jordan was caught, and whitewashed, _again._

With the malfunction of her first plan, Eva racked her brain for further plots, but these too, all ended up as failures. This cycle of planning, preparing, and running continued until Don Wei called them all in for lunch a few hours later.

Wet clothes removed, the five young adults plopped down exhausted in front of the fireplace in the living room.

"You guys did pretty good out there. No one's ever come that close to beating me and Koji in a long while," Stan explained to the others with a grin.

"But you appeared to always have the upper hand," Aikka reasoned.

"Just because we were always a step ahead of you doesn't mean we weren't coming close to out limits," Koji provided further explanation.

"What I want to know is why you kept whitewashing me." Jordan complained about the wrongs done to him. Koji and Stan looked at each other before breaking into laughter. "Well?" Jordan demanded.

"Entertainment," Stan finally replied.

"Plus you're the only one who would forgive us for stuffing snow down your shirt." Koji continued. Jordan scowled, partly because he was angry, and partly because he knew they were right. Before this conversation could further develop, Don came with cups of hot cocoa for all of them, and the topic was changed to other things. For example, Why wasn't Aikka spending Christmas with his own family?

Back on Nourasia, the holiday known as Christmas didn't exist. However, as Aikka explained, there was a similar holiday taking place at nearly the same time. But since Nourasia had a different orbit than Earth, and a different sun, they were currently in autumn rather than winter. Eva hugged him tightly and promised to visit him during his own holiday.

As Aikka explained, Eva's calico cat Plato ventured into the living room. Koji knelt down to pet him, and the cat traveled from person to person, accepting all the attention they gave him. As Aikka reached out a hand to pet the cat, Plato sniffed it uncertainly. Suddenly, as if a light bulb and gone off in his head, the cat hissed, and batted Aikka's hand away. Rather discouraged and disheartened, Aikka quickly took his hand back.

Jordan made Aikka feel worse with his teasing. "Looks like Plato doesn't like Princey. And I've heard that Plato is a good judge of character." The smug look on his face made Aikka reach for his dagger with anger.

"Don't worry about Plato." Stan patted Aikka reassuringly on his shoulder. "At first he didn't like Jordan either."

"Is that so?" Aikka returned Jordan's smug look with one of his own.

* * *

The time slowly ticked into mid afternoon, and Stan, Koji, and Jordan said their farewells. Jordan was spending the remainder of Christmas with his mother who lived in the country, and Stan and Koji were off to see their families (who, to no one's surprise, celebrated together). The Wei's also had something planned: they spent every Christmas evening with Rick and his family. Eva was exited to have Aikka meet her adopted brother, his teasing wife, and her little niece. 

If Eva could have picked one word to describe Rick's house it would be lavish or magnificent. Though it didn't go over the top as many rich houses did, it was very nice with two stories (plus an attic and a basement) an indoor pool, and beautiful landscaping with frozen ponds and big trees. A smiling Rick met them at the large wooden front doors. His dark hair was pulled back in a horse tail, and he was wearing a pale green button up shirt and a pair of black slacks.

"I see your Nourasian Prince arrived." He commented upon seeing Aikka.

"Et tu1?" Don asked, horrified.

Rick snorted in amusement. "Who do you think bought him the shuttle ticket so he could come and visit Little Mouse?"

Eva hugged her brother. "Thanks so much, Rick. You don't know just how much I appreciate having Aikka here."

The ex-pilot smiled at her, and then winked at Aikka who turned bright red as he realized what Rick was hinting at. "I think I do."

Eva wasn't two meters in the house when a squeal rang out and her leg was suddenly caught in a hug.

"Onee-Chan2!" The girl cried. She was rather short, with her chin reaching just above Eva's knee. Her hair was just as black as Rick's and her eyes a soft blue. She was wearing a cute red and green Christmas dress, with matching red socks that had little green Christmas trees embroidered on the sides.

"Hey Blume!" Eva returned her affectionate little niece's hug. About this time, the final member of Rick's happy family entered the room. She was maybe a head taller than Eva, and wore her blond hair styled short. She was wearing khaki capris, and a white blouse covered by a brown pullover embroidered in a blue that matched her own blue eyes. She was known for her kind smile, good advice, and her constant teasing.

"Eva! Don!" She gave out one of these smiles now to her sister-in-law and father-in-law. "How are you doing?"

"Just fine, Risata." Don replied with a smile.

"So Eva, is this young Nouraisan the boyfriend I have been hearing so much about?" She directed her remark to Aikka, who until now had been standing quietly in the background. The couple turned a bright red.

"He's just my-" "I am only her-" They both began. "friend." They finished in unison, with the same word. Rick couldn't help but chuckle as they both turned a brighter red, if that was even possible.

"C'mon, Risata made us a big dinner. We should probably get to it while it's hot." Rick watched a feeling of relief wash over the two as her changed to a safer subject.

Just as Rick had said, the dinner was big, and nice. There was turkey, green beans, mash potatoes, cranberry sauce, yams and sweet potatoes, and many other various good foods. Aikka was determined to try a little of everything. Most of these foods were new to him, and all the new flavors and textures intrigued him. With each sample he would relate it to a Nourasian food, and was the main discusser in many of the table conversations.

When the food was eaten and the dishes all clean (courtesy of Aikka, who Risata said had to be one of the most well mannered young men she had ever met) the family wandered into the large cushy living room to talk the night away. Risata left upstairs to put a sleepy Blume to bed, and Rick and Don was engaged in some deep conversation about something or other. Eva was helping Aikka put away the clean dishes on the kitchen. As she was closing a cabinet, she glanced at the ceiling above the kitchen sink. To her horror, a small twig of a plant with small round leaves and white berries had been hung there, tied with a red ribbon.

Someone had hung mistletoe.

It wasn't embarrassing enough that Rick and Risata were teasing her and Aikka in front of her own disapproving father, but now she had to kiss him? There was nothing wrong with kissing the Nourasian prince. In fact, they had kissed rather often, but it was alone, where the prying eyes of their overseers couldn't criticize. Eva looked about. All the others were out of sight, in a different room. She prayed to the nearest entity that Aikka wouldn't know the Earth custom about mistletoe. However, the smile on Aikka's lips lead her to believe that there were no entities in the current vicinity, or that none of them were listening. He knew that she had seen the mistletoe; she knew that he knew what it meant. Before she could utter her protest, his hands were holding hers, and his lips gently brushed her own. His kiss was tender, and soft, as if he just wanted her to know he cared, and was thinking about her. When the kiss broke she snuggled against him for a short time. Even though she had dreaded it, Eva was glad it had happened.

* * *

They finally waved a goodbye to Rick and Risata and Don drove them back to the Wei house. He had already assured Eva, with much hesitation, that Aikka could stay in the guest bedroom until his shuttle was planned to leave in two days. When they arrived at the house Aikka and Eva settled on the couch, and spent the remainder of the night talking. When Don came to check on them before he went to bed himself, they were both asleep. Aikka was laying with his head against the back cushioning, and Eva's upper torso why laying across Aikka's lap with her head on the armrest, one of Aikka's dark toned arms reassuringly placed on her stomach. Don watched as it rose slowly up and down with her breathing. After a short period, Eva's father let out a long sigh. When he returned he placed a blanket over the sleeping couple, before turning of the lights and leaving for his own room. Plato slowly crawled up on the blanket, purring contently as he settled against Aikka. Eva's eye lids flickered as the lights of the dying fireplace danced over her sleeping form. 

End

1 In Latin, Et tu, means 'You too?'. A large group of conspirators formed against the famous Roman leader Julius Caesar, and plotted to kill him. When they finally put their plan into action, Julius Caesar was killed. His last words were "Et tu, Brute?" when he realized that even his close friend Brutus was among the conspirators. He is often quoted in an attempt to mimic his feeling of ultimate betrayal.

2 Onee-Chan is Japanese for 'big sister'. Though I might have the spelling wrong.

A/N: The next chapter will be back to the storyline. I hope you guys enjoyed my little Christmas fic!

Also, I have some art from previous chapters up on my DeviantART page. www . puzzlepiece1343 . deviantart . com (without the spaces)


	10. Changing for the Better

Bonds

Disclaimer: I don't own Oban, yada yada yada. Doughnuts, yada, yada, yada. Pants of the Crogs….. blah…blah… blah… Sav! The World.

Author's Note: For some weird reason, I'm not getting any email alerts or notes. Is this just me, or has something gone wrong with the system again?

To all my wonderful reviewers, Thank you so much for reviewing! I love you all! If you keep reviewing, I promise to keep writing!

Anyhoo, This chapter continues where Chapter Eight left off.

Chapter Ten: Changing for the Better

Eva seemed to radiate confidence. She knew this race belonged to her. No possessive fans or fierce competitors could stop her. It was hers and that was the end of it. _Reflection _hummed around her, every bit of it under her control. Her thumb itched to be off the break and onto the accelerator; She longed to go. As her opponents pulled up slowly beside her, her thumb twitched.

Her scolding stopped half way when she realized just who her opponent was. Could it possibly be? After all these years? Rush looked much the same as he had on Alwas, same toothy grin, same long thick orange hair. Sure, his ship had a few modifications, butt it was still unbelievably familiar to the time she had raced him back on Alwas.

She was too surprised to notice when the light turned green. Cursing as she watched the other racers pull out in front of her, Eva allowed her thumb to follow its urge. She shot forward, but her new speed was no match for the lead the other team had gained.

Aikka had gone forward like the rest, and was currently having a bit of trouble with Rush's partner. He immediately recognized it to be an Umbatah ship. The Phyls and the Umbatah were Earth's first and most trusted allies. The Umbatah were known for producing highly skilled mechanics, and had technology far superior to Earth's. Their skin ranged from a medium green to a murky blue, and they reached an average of a meter tall. Over all they weren't a very attractive people, with ugly drooping faces and large mouths that made them appear like old grumpy Earthlings. Their ears were large and stood out of their head like triangles. Most of their ships were designed around a spherical cockpit with thin prong-like attachments that added stability. This particular ship only had one prong, attached to the bottom. The whole thing must have been about the same length of the average Crog trident.

The Umbatah pilot had incredible control over his maneuverability, and thus was giving Aikka a hard time. He weaved away, but the Umbatah would roll his ship to counter Aikka's move, and force G'dar off the track. Even when the Prince was able to steer around the other pilot, Rush guarded the opposing side, and would push Aikka back at the Umbatah.

"Sorry." Eva told Aikka after she finally caught up with the rears of the other racers. "I got a little ditracted." Aikka did not respond. He had just pulled G'dar into a roll, and barely made it over the other ship. Eva pushed into the place between Aikka and Rush, finally giving Aikka the security he needed. As they pulled into the first curve, Aikka and Eva easily took first place for themselves, their small size made steering far easier. But the race was not over just yet, as Don Wei was glad to point out. He was right, considering how easily Rush and the Umbahtah stole back the lead after the curve. Here Eva began to lean back on everything she had learned on Oban: This wasn't some sissy race against pilots who had never left their own planets any more.

Coming around the outside, she and Aikka pushed the other two racers close together with aggressive force. Just before they struck back, G'dar and the _Reflection_ stopped suddenly, sending Rush and the Umbatah skidding toward either edge of the race track. This opening as seized as Eva and Aikka flew back into first place, and rounded the second curve. They used this as a cushion of extra time, and put out all their speed to reach the final bend before the opposing team caught up. Though Rush and the Umbatah struggled to increase speed, what little advantage the front two had gained led to their victory.

When the other racers pulled across the finish line Eva climbed from the _Reflection_'s cockpit. Rush also turned off his ship.

"Congratulations! You race well!" He told her as he approached with a bright grin. Eva pulled her goggles off her face and set them in their proper position on her head.

"Hey Rush!" She returned his smile.

"Molly!" Shock was written all over the friendly racer's face. "And Prince Aikka!" He said as Aikka walked over to where the pilots stood. "Well isn't this just a grand reunion! How have you two been?" He caught both the Nourasian and the Earth woman in a great crushing hug.

"I'm great." Eva managed as she escaped his grasp.

"Likewise," Aikka responded.

"I heard you won the Great Race of Oban! You must tell me all about it!"

"Why don't you come back with us to our pit? I'll explain there, plus I'm sure Jordan would be glad to see you as well." Eva suggested. It wasn't fair that Jordan was left out.

As expected, the ex-gunner was more than glad to see the big alien again. With the help of both Eva and Aikka, he tried to paint a verbal picture of Oban for Rush. When the day came to an end, Eva said her goodbyes to Rush and headed home with Don Wei. Rush promised both her and Aikka that he would be watching them race on the universal broadcast.

* * *

Eva dug through her drawers of clothing. It was after dinner, and instead of joining Don Wei in a game of chess or in a card game, she insisted on packing for their trip to Nourasia. Aikka had told her that currently in Nourasia it was late summer, as apposed to the late autumn weather here on Earth. This meant she would have to pack summer clothes. Short and shirts were soon stuffed away in a large duffle bag. She had a bit of a difficult time picking out shirts though. She had so many, each different. Some were layered, and others bore elegant designs, or radical sayings. Slowly, she picked out her favorites. First, there was her tang top that looked like a giant yin-yang symbol. Next she picked out a few different plain looking shirts, and she added a punk-ish shirt, along with a few long sleeved ones incase there was a light wind. 

Eva was nearly finished when a knock sounded on her door. "Come in!" She called. It was Don. He raised his eyebrows at the mess of clothes that covered her floor. "Well?" She asked, impatient to get back to her packing.

"Eva, you'll need to pack a dress," He began, before being rudely interrupted by his daughter.

"What?! A dress? Why do I need a dress?"

Don continued with a slight twitch of irritation. He would never become accustomed to Eva's outbursts. "Mr. Canaan said the King and Queen of Nourasia are holding a formal party in honor of the finalists. It is to be a strictly formal event. That suggests that you will need a nice dress."

"But!" Eva began. It was the manager who interrupted this time.

"But nothing. I will not have my only daughter looking anything but her best. Is that clear?"

Eva glared. "Yes Dad." There was no arguing with him now.

"Good. I will see you in the morning." And Don left as he had came, leaving an upset Eva in his wake.

Dislike was an understatement. Eva despised dresses. On other people, they were fine, but when she was wearing them, uhg! They made her feel vulnerable, like a damsel in distress from one of those stupid fairy tales. She couldn't run in them, and they just didn't match her personality. Still, for her father, she would at least look through her closet. Out of all her clothes it was discovered that only two items were dresses. One was a light blue spring dress that her father had bought her a few years back. It had never been worn, and Eva doubted that it still fit her. The second was a Christmas dress given to her by Rick's wife Risata. Eva had only worn it once, and only then for a family portrait in which she and Blume were matching. When it became obvious to Eva that neither dress would work, she sighed, and meandered down to the basement where all of her mother's belongings were stashed away in boxes. Eva was fairly sure that she would be able to fit into her Mom's old clothes.

It was down to the basement she went. Navigating through the sea of boxes, she managed to find Maya's old things in the far left corner of the room, coated in a layer of dust. As a child, the basement had always scared Eva. It was like the mouth of some giant beast waiting to swallow her up. With age, she had learned that there were much scarier things than a big slimy monster waiting to jump out from behind a pile of boxes: an adult male Crog (fully equipped with explosive doughnuts) ready to rip her in half for example. Now that was scary. Even with this understood, Eva couldn't help but shiver at the sense of foreboding emanating from the basement. Could it be the memories from her childhood still lingering, or perhaps something else?

Feeling of dread or no, Eva still needed to get those dresses. Gripping the flashlight in her mouth (because this section of the basement was poorly illuminated) Eva pulled out the pocket knife Jordan had given her for her birthday. She dragged the well used blade across the packing tape that held the box shut. It gave way, and the talented pilot was soon rooting through the box. Unfortunately, this box contained no clothing, and Eva was forced to search through many others before she finally reached what she was looking for. She dug a few of Maya's evening gowns from the final box. Once a large pile of cloth had accumulated in her arms she trudge back to the main story, and then up to her own bathroom, the one with a full length mirror.

Eva looked at the pile on the sink, first her mother's favorite gown. She was surprised at just how well it fit her. The cloth flowed over her body, making her look stunning, but something seemed wrong about it. Looking at herself in the mirror, Eva was overcome by shame. She was soiling the memories of her mother by wearing this outfit. She was destroying her mother's smell and replacing it with her own. In disgust, she quickly removed the cloth, nearly ripping it in the process. The aspect of trying Maya's other dresses suddenly became very unappealing. With a sigh, Eva gathered them up again, and traveled back downstairs.

As she closed up the box, her eyes caught on something. Beneath all the other boxes was an odd white box. It was shaped differently, and had complex gold patterns of flowers and wines on it. As usual, Eva's curiosity got the better of her, and she soon moved the other boxes to the side, her flashlight resting on the unique box. With great care, she opened it. A small gasp escaped her lips: this was her mother's wedding dress! Eva pulled it out to inspect it in the light. It was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. The main piece was a white tube top dress with a long trail dangling behind. Skillfully embroidered in the fabric was white lace, and it was adorned with tiny shining pearls. Though the dress was slightly discolored from age, Eva marveled at it. She remembered a picture in the hallway of her mother wearing this dress with a happy Don staining beside her. If Eva ever was to get married, this was the dress she wanted to wear. When she had been only a small child, Maya had told her a story of a magical dress passed down through generations of women. They all would wear it to their wedding, and it was said to bless their marriage. They would then pass it down to their own daughters (or son's fiancés, as the case might be) and the cycle would continue. Eva knew instantly that this was the legendary dress her mother spoke of.

"Mom, when I get married, I'll wear this dress in memory of you. I hope to make you proud." Eva felt that if she voiced her thoughts aloud, there was more of a chance they would be heard in the spirit world.

As she packed the dress away Eva realized she still did not have anything suitable to wear to the formal party her father had mentioned. Realizing the commotion this would cause if brought up, Eva decided it would be best kept a secret from her father. She would tell him right before the party was about to take place that she didn't have anything to wear, and then he would be forced to not allow her to attend. Sure, Don Wei was resourceful, and he would probably find a way to make her go anyway, but for now, Eva would keep on hoping.

* * *

Upstairs in his own room, the man of topic sat milling over his desk. It was covered with pictures of Eva. Though he had none from the ten years she had been away at boarding school, the other eight years were enough to completely cover Don's normally neat desk. How had she grown up so fast? Even in just the three recent years she had gone from being a naïve child to a mature and beautiful young woman. Though he couldn't be prouder of his no longer so little girl, he was also worried for her. He had seen the way that Nourasian man looked at her. (Don refused to admit that Eva had looked at Aikka in the same manner.) The mere thought of what he might do to her when the two where alone sent shivers through the father's spine. Something had to be done. Don reached down absentmindedly to stroke Plato, who was rubbing against his legs. After this race was over, the two would be planets apart again, which was good news as far as Don was concerned. But until then, he would have to keep a close eye on Eva. Yes, a very close eye indeed.

* * *

Eva watched as Stan and Koji packed away the reminder of the star-racing equipment in the large Earth transport the following afternoon. Jordan had already gone back to his own apartment to pack. They were leaving tomorrow morning, bright and early. They were one of four teams of finalists headed to Nourasia. Over a week's time, the teams would face off, before returning to their home planets, one team with a very shiny new trophy in tow. 

Raising her arm in the air, Eva waved at Stan and Koji as they left for the same reason as Jordan. With nothing to do, Eva helped Aikka in his own packing. It wasn't that difficult, and soon almost everything was packed away. Eva paused, about to pick up a particular flowering plant. It was made of long stems and grass like leaves. Each stock was topped by a beautiful bell-like flower. The flowers were all mostly white, with yellow, orange, or pink streaks running up the petals: They reminded her of Earth tulips. She cupped one in her hands and brought it up to her nose.

"Do you find its smell pleasant?" Aikka asked with a smile as Eva righted herself.

She nodded. "It smells beautiful, just as nice as the flower itself." Aika's smile widened. He found Eva far prettier than the flower, but he kept the thought to himself. Instead, He pulled out his dagger and cut one of the tulip-like flowers at the steam.

"For you." She accepted the flower with a blush and a gratified hug. Though Aikka longed to hold her a bit longer, Eva pushed him away, grabbing instead at his hand.

"C'mon, I want to show you something." With so little packing left to do, Aikka reasoned he could spend a little more time with Eva. He held tightly to her waist as she fired up her rocket seat, the flower tucked carefully down the front of her sweater.

Eva wove expertly through the mass of hangers and around the stadium. She finally stopped at a small park situated just north of the track. Though fairly small, the park looked well kept, all the leaves from the barren trees long since raked away. Eva left her rocket seat at the edge, and lead Aikka through on foot, as if the place was somehow sacred to her.

In the very center of the park was some sort of memorial. There were three large slabs of polished black marble standing erect in a small rectangle of concrete. One faced them while the other two seemed to frame the center one and where tilted to be viewed at a 45 degree angle. Engraved in the marble were various names, embossed in gold. Eva pulled the undamaged flower from her sweater and placed it in the small gold cup built in at the front of the monument. The Nourasian flower was not lonely, as it was surrounded by many other flowers, though they were all dry and withered. Eva walked around the cup, and on her tip toes traced small gold letters on the top left of the center slab of marble.

"My dad didn't even know about this monument," She began. "It was made to honor all the pilots who died racing. Besides Mom's grave, I like to come and visit this place too. It seems connected to her." Aikka understood now. The flower had reminded Eva of her mother.

"I am honored that you would take me to such a special place." Aikka couldn't have felt more trusted. Showing him a place so closely connected to a cherished loved one showed just how much confidence she had in him.

"It's no big deal, really." She turned to give a light smile to him. Aikka shook his head.

"After a being dies, their soul is dispersed into nature, and helps the plants to grow, and the rain to fall. However, part of their spirit still lingers with their loved ones, or places they are remembered at. Taking me here to meet your mother means more to me than I can say." She smiled in response, a true smile. Nothing more needed to be said, and she gripped his hand tightly in her own and led him away.

Aikka could feel his heart beating in his throat. He had found a new respect for Eva, and now as she held his hand he swore he was blushing more than she had when they had first met back on Alwas. As they reached the rocket seat, Aikka felt he should do something. Since their last moments on Oban, he had longed to really kiss her, to pour own all his emotions. He had just not been able to find the right time though. It was this moment that he realized was perfect.

"Eva?" She turned to look at him.

"Hmm?-!" Her eyes widened as Aikka's soft lips pressed against hers. She immediately close her own eyes, and responded, kissing back. Aikka lost himself in their kiss, pushing all his passion and longing at her, his hands wrapped tightly about her waist. Eva, in turn, felt along Aikka's back, pushing her body close against his. They both stopped for breath, Eva snuggling while Aikka gazed at her with eyes half closed, as if he was drunk with her taste.

"Aikka." She murmured, enjoying the feeling of his warmth cradling her. "Promise to never let me go."

Aikka was overcome by pure bliss. In his mind Eva was the only thing he wanted, everything else would have to wait. "Promise," He replied, before stealing her breath with another kiss.

* * *

The girl with long brown hair looked about at her group in surprise. As the leader, she had never been questioned. She, Sophie, head of the Aikka fan club, always knew what was best. But now, there was some sort of unrest in her little group of six girls. For the first time, there was murmuring and backtalk. It had all started with their second interaction with Eva. Ren, the quieter of the oriental twins, who wore glasses and her raven black hair in a long braid that dangled down her back, had the nerve to ask if Eva could be right. 

"What if," she had ventured. "What is she's right and we're really nothing to Prince Aikka?" Sophie had been quick to assure her otherwise, but then her irritating radical sister joined in. Yuri was a bouncy girl who wore weird clothing that never matched, and was over obsessed with anime, some type of Japanese cartoon.

"Even if Aikka does like us, What about his feelings for Eva? I mean does he really like her as she said?" Of course Yuri would defend Ren; they were family. Sophie knew the other girls didn't feel that way. However, she decided to go ahead with the spying anyway. Everything went downhill from there. It seemed that Aikka did like Eva, a lot.

"They're a couple." Yuri now pointed out.

"They're not just a couple, they're a celebrity couple!" Ginger, the red-head indicated her excitement by waving her arms around. "And they're so cute together!"

Sophie wanted to scream at all of them. How could they be so stupid and turn against her? If Aikka was paired with Eva, he couldn't be with them!

"I thought you said we weren't supposed to mess with celebrity couples." This time it was Bre-Ann, the athletic girl with dark skin. Sophie hated to say it, but she was beginning to see their point. Still, she refused to back down just yet.

"Are you guys saying we should just give up on Aikka?! After everything we've done?" She shouted out at all of them. Their vigor died down. Sophie let out a triumphant grin. It looked like she'd win, until Yuri came forward again.

"We've not giving up on Aikka. We're just supporting him in a different way." The others nodded in agreement.

"Fine." Sophie spat. "Then what do you propose we do?"

"What do you think Kisuhs?" Bre-Ann directed the comment at the Phyl girl. The thick fibers that covered her body were a deep grey, and she wore a grey dress with pale yellow designs. Her mask was white, and her eyes were a vibrant piercing yellow. She showed the other girls a mental image of them all kneeling down in front of Eva and Aikka.

"You think we should ask for forgiveness then?" Ren gave her interpretation of Kisuhs' vision, at which the Phyl nodded.

And that's just what they did.

* * *

Eva wasn't sure just how to take this group of fan girls bowing down to her and Aikka at this time in the morning. She was tired, and had barely slept at all last night (Not for the reason you all are thinking.). She was nervous about going to Nourasia the next day. They said they were sorry, and were changing, but Eva wasn't sure she believed them. She didn't even know what they were doing to change themselves. 

"Instead of being the official Aikka Fan club, we're now the first official AikkaEva fan club!" Eva was not allowed to reply as Jordan dragged them on to the shuttle. Eva feared that her life would never return to normal again. Not that she wanted it normal.


	11. Traveling into Experiences

Bonds

Disclaimer: If I owned Oban, I would make a movie! And I would make the DVD's available in the US as well as Europe.

Author's Note: Lookie! I made a new chapter in less time than usual, Praise me!

As you all probably know, I live for reviews, and every time I post I new chapter I'm constantly checking back to see if I have any new reviews. So to everyone who keeps reviewing, Thanks a bunch! You all make me so happy!

Big Thanks are awarded to Virtual Dragon of Oban. She beta read a few of my chapters and helps me bounce ideas. Without her, this chapter wouldn't have come so quickly.

Chapter Eleven: Traveling into Experiences

With Earth's recent advances in technology, the trip to Nourasia by space shuttle could be made in only twenty-four hours, give or take. Eva had the entire trip planned out. Sleep for the first eleven hours, then wake up to eat something, use the restroom, and then sleep until they arrived. Yes, it was perfect.

Last night had been a crazy night for Eva. Despite their intentions, Aikka and Eva had not returned to the hanger until around five or six. Rushing, they had been barely able to finish Aikka's packing before Eva was called home for dinner. Dinner, of course, had to be prepared, (forty-five minutes at shortest) and after it was eaten, Don and his daughter needed to prepare food to be eaten on the way there. (Don had volunteered them.) It was a long arduous process. Trying to feed seven hungry people with completely different tastes was one thing, but when you had to somehow make it all to-go, you had better have some time to spare. Unfortunately, time was something the Weis had little of, and by the time most of the food was packed away, it was well past eleven. When Don retired for the night, Eva stayed up to make sure the rolls rose properly. After that, she climbed wearily to her room only to discover that her own packing has yet to be finished. This took her half past midnight. Now half-dead, Eva keeled over in her bed, only to be woken by Don at five the following morning.

* * *

The transport itself was rather cushy, as Jordan put it. The main room they would be staying in was around seven by five meters, (estimate that one meter is about three and a half feet.) and covered in soft carpet. Built into the walls were cushioned benches, and as Jordan pointed out; if you lifted the cushions, you could find compartments filled with various things such as pillows and blankets. Attached to the wall behind the different benches were harnesses, for landing and taking off. There were four doors leading out of the main one. One led to a lavatory, another to a fully equipped kitchen, (where Don and Eva's food was currently being stored) and one led directly to the bay that held both G'dar and the _Reflection_. The final door opened to the pilots' rooms, the cockpit, and another door to outside the shuttle.

Eva sat rather drowsily on the bench as they took off. Their ride was far smoother than on the Avatar's vessels, and both Stan and Koji were rather surprised when one of the pilots voiced that they could remove their seatbelts. With half-awake clumsiness, Eva unbuckled herself, and pulled a pillow and blanket from one of the compartments. She then proceeded to fall into a deep slumber in the upper left corner of the room on the floor.

* * *

Jordan looked at Eva with a feeling of unease. What he was planning on doing was not in any way appealing. Eva had been asleep now for about three hours, and already the other four young adults were dying of boredom. Though they had tried many different things, there were few games that active men such as themselves could play in such a small area. In the end, waking up Eva was decided to be necessary. This pilot always seemed to have the best ideas for games and other various such things. In order to choose the unfortunate candidate for the job of waking Eva, Koji had suggested Rock-Paper-Scissors. Jordan, of course, had lost, and he now tapped Eva gently on the shoulder.

"Hey Eva, it's time to wake up," He said softly, as if speaking any louder would invoke her powerful wrath. She groaned and rolled away from Jordan.

"C'mon Eva, wake up." This time Eva grabbed her pillow and hid her head beneath it, blocking out the sound of Jordan's voice.

"Eva." Jordan's voice raised to a normal level, and he shook her again, refusing to give up his efforts. Growing irritated, Eva once again took hold of the pillow, and flung it at Jordan. It stuck his face with and 'flump'. With a sigh, Jordan tore Eva's blanket from her clutching fingers. She curled up in a ball and shielded her eyes with her arms.

"Go away," She grumbled. Jordan left for the kitchen, and returned with a single ice cube in his hand. Stan and Koji snickered as they watched Jordan push the small block of ice down the back of Eva's t-shirt. She let out a loud squeal and immediately jumped to her feet. Quickly she pulled the freezing disturbance from her shirt. Now fully awake, she glared with eyes like daggers at Jordan who was hiding a silent snigger behind his hand. She threw the cube at Jordan and then turned to the two mechanics and Aikka.

"So what's so important that you had to awake me up?" She waited with foot tapping for an explanation.

"Well, we need an idea or game to play that would save us from boredom," Koji explained hesitantly. The only female groaned inwardly. They had woken her up for such a petty reason?! With a hand covering her face, she asked,

"Did you guys try playing a card game?"

"That's a great idea!" Stan declared and began digging through the seats to see of he could find a deck of playing cards. Miraculously, they easily found a deck, and Stan was soon dealing out cards. Since there was no chance Eva would be able to get back to sleep now, she joined their circle. Instead of being completely unfamiliar with card games as everyone had assumed, Aikka was actually a fairly good player. He had played a few times with the humans during the Crog War, and also picked up new things very quickly. At first they played some various games such as Go Fish, Rummy, and BS.

BS is a game that involves a reasonable mount of bluffing, and of course the dispensing of cards. Aikka reined supreme at this game because he could easily read expressions. As a direct cause, neither Jordan nor Stan faired very well. They shuffled through assorted other games, such as Spoons and Poker, until Koji finally suggested a new game.

"Stan, What about Mou (1)?" Stan nodded in agreement.

"That's a good one."

"What rules dictate Mou?" Aikka inquired. The mechanics looked at each other, twisted grins covering their faces.

"There's only one rule," Koji began.

"And that rules is that we can't tell you any of the rules!" Stan finished.

"Then how are we suppose to play?!" Jordan demanded, liking Mou less and less.

"There's a lot of observation involved," Stan explained. "But that's the fun part."

"Oh, that game!" A light bulb went off above Eva's head. "It's the one I played with you guys a while back, right?" Stan and Koji nodded, before Koji launched into further explanation.

"It works similarly to Uno, and you are allowed to ask the Mou Master yes or no questions."

"Mou Master?" Jordan and Aikka traded looks. Eva nodded solemnly.

"I'll be the first Mou Master," Koji said as he took the stack of freshly shuffled cards and gave everyone five each. Jordan reached for his own cards while Koji finished giving the others theirs. "Touching cards before game begins." Koji clarified, abruptly giving Jordan another card.

"What?!" Jordan exclaimed, surprise all over his face. "That doesn't make any sense!" Koji didn't even twitch behind his square glasses.

"Game begins now." He stated, setting the remaining cards in the center, and taking the top card from the pile. With this card he created a second pile, this one face up. The first card was a Four of Hearts. At this time both Koji and Stan picked up their respective hands. The other hesitantly followed suit, Jordan still glaring at Koji. Stan took a single glance at the cards before selecting one from his own hand and setting it atop of the face up card. The card was the jeering face of a Jack of Hearts. Koji followed with a Seven of Hearts.

"Have a nice day." He said with a smile on his features as he placed down his own card. Aikka and Jordan both gave him odd looks.

"What do you mean?" Jordan took the responsibility to verbalize the oddity of the situation.

"Talking out of Point of Order." Stan told him with a smug grin as he handed Jordan his second penalty card.

"Wha-?" Jordan sputtered.

"Talking out of Point of Order." Koji barely managed to hide his smile, giving Jordan yet _another_ card. By this time, Jordan got the point and shut his mouth. Eva then played her own Hearts card, followed by Jordan and Aikka. Stan's turn then came rolling around again. The card he'd have to play off of was a Three of Hearts.

"Three of Spades," The dark skinned mechanic supplied, knocking against the carpet with his knuckles as he placed his own card. Koji, who apparently didn't have any Spades, took the top card from the draw pile, making it Eva's turn.

"Two of Spades." The frown on her face indicated that she wasn't quite sure of herself, but her turn passed without any penalty cards being given. Jordan was about to put down his own card when Stan stopped him.

"Failure to draw two cards." Stan handed Jordan a penalty card. "Here are- your cards." Stan said the phrase in halves, emphasizing each chunk as he place the cards on the carpet next to Jordan. The Ex-Gunner gave him a look of mixed horror and anger.

"Failure to say thank you." Jordan glowered at the self-proclaimed Mou Master as he received an additional card. Koji was enjoying this!

"Point of Order," Stan said as Jordan looked at his huge hand. He, Koji, and Eva quickly set hands face down on the carpet. This was one of the rules Eva definitely remembered.

"Touching cards during Point of Order." Koji gave both Aikka and Jordan a card each. They both quickly dropped their cards.

"I love playing with noobs!" Stan declared loudly.

"Agreed!" Koji replied.

"I have to admit, it is kind of fun watching Jordan get all those cards!" Eva chimed in.

"When someone initiates a Point of Order, that enables all players to speak?" Aikka asked Koji, beginning it catch on.

"Yes." The game continued on until Stan won. During the following games Jordan and Aikka pieced together the rules while Eva refreshed her own memory. Toward the end, both Jordan and Aikka were familiar enough to be giving out penalty cards, and everyone was pretty skillful.

The five were finally forced to end their games when Don called them all into the kitchen for dinner. (lunch had long since passed) Though they played a few more games after dinner, the whole group was now bored, and looked for something new to do.

"Aikka, Why don't you tell us about Nourasia?" Eva finally asked.

"Really, I was never good at story telling. Perhaps Canaan would tell you some?" He pointed to the mentor, who apparently wasn't occupied with anything at the moment. They swarmed the elder Nourasian.

"Very well," He said with a sigh. "Gather around." Canaan's first story was about a wild Nourasian princess, and a handsome Nourasian noble. Though the noble was the fairest and strongest of all the Nourasian men, he was also cruel and greedy. He tried many times to convince the princess to marry him so that he could gain power, but she always refused. All of the five, even Aikka, (who had heard this story before) were kept captivated at Canaan's vivid words. When the Princess refused to marry him, the noble tried many attempts on her life, only to have her fight valiantly back. In the end, the noble died as a result of his own greediness, leaving the Princess to govern her kingdom peacefully. Canaan told them a few more tales until the time for sleep was long past.

"Tomorrow we'll reach Nourasia. Everyone get some rest." That was an order from Don Wei, and all of the Earth Team hurried to obey it. Before long, they were all snoozing, though full of anticipation for what was to come.

* * *

Eva's first impression of Nourasia was simply breath taking. The air was crisp and clean, but unlike Oban, that had such a natural smell, Nourasian air had a hint of herbs and spices. The shuttle had landed outside a special building where both G'dar and the _Reflection_ would be housed. It was next to the racing track. But Eva had yet to set her sights on the place she'd be racing. Her gaze was fixed on the city before her. Majority of the buildings were made of a mix of white stone, elegantly carved wood, and skillfully shaped metal the color of bronze and copper. Of all the buildings, the Earthen pilot stared longest at the castle. It reminded her of popsicle sticks stuck in a glob of peanut butter, and then smothered in glue. It was simply fantastic. The bottom half was like a beehive with a dazzling amount of windows, balconies, and odd openings, such as pathways around the every edge of the building itself. Striking out from the top of this mass of stone were many towers. Some spiraled, while others just stuck out in the air like sore thumbs. Strange bridges and stairs connected many of the towers together, some shaking perilously in the wind.

As Eva gazed at this magnificent castle, she realized just where Aikka's love of plants had come from. The entire place was smothered in plants; vines climbed up the towers, garden balconies were covered in varying sizes of trees ((some larger than Earth Redwoods (2) )) and bushes and hedges seemed to grow from the castle itself. _It looked so alive! _A small flock of bird-like creatures landed in one of the large trees. It seemed the Nourasians had found a way to blend nature with civilization. It wasn't just beautiful, it was unimaginably stunning.

But it didn't stop there. The palace was surrounded by a mass of winding gardens filled with the most exotic plants, and fascinating sculpture. Surrounding these gardens was a short wall that looked as if it had seen better days. Though it was made of the same white stone as the palace and just as well crafted, in many places it was broken, and Eva could see scorch marks here and there. It was then that Eva began to notice the destruction. In the Crog War, Nourasia was the first to be attacked. Also, unlike Earth, it was actually invaded, with Crogs scaring the planet and wreaking havoc. Though the plants had grown back, Eva could still see the gouges in the lands, and places where the palace had been destroyed.

Around the palace walls was the track, something that looked akin to a stable, as well as a market of sorts, and the higher class houses. Eva assumed that the lower class houses were in a ring surrounding those. Stan's shout pulled Eva back to the task at hand.

" Hey Eva! Can you give me a hand?" Stan was struggling with a rather large crate.

"Sure thing!" Eva raced over to grab the protruding end of the crate. They walked into a large empty building. The ceilings were high, and the roofing was made of stained glass with many trap doors that could be opened for fresh air. There was a common walking area down the center of the building. To either side were what looked similar to large stalls or compartments. There were four on each side. At the very back of the left side was the Earth Team's spot. The _Reflection_ was already in position, and a few crates had been stacked to the side of it. Aikka and Canaan were settling G'dar in the slot next to theirs. All around them the different teams were organizing themselves and unpacking.

"Aikka?" A curious Nourasian girl was peeking into the Nourasian area.

"Dear Belvele!" Aikka greeted her fondly. She looked to be between fifteen and sixteen and wore a bright grin of her delicate face. Her skin was more of a creamy yellow rather than Aikka's tanned red, and her hair was a deep brown. Her head piece wove through her short locks, pulling a pair of pig tails into an erect position, and curling around the two long locks of hair that fell in front of her ears. These ears were seemingly far too long to stick out like Aikka's, and instead drooped down to her shoulders, adorned with many earrings. Her clothing was rather simple, with no armor, and she ran about barefoot. Her purple eyes twinkled in glee.

"I am pleased that you have retuned brother." She told him. So this was the little sister Aikka had mentioned.

"As am I, Bevele." She paused for a second smiling, before continuing on.

"Come, Mother and Father wish to meet your new partner and his manager."

"Her," Aikka corrected. "Bevele, may I introduce my partner, Eva." Eva walked over with smile on her tattooed face. Bevel regarded her with a moment's curiosity before putting on a polite face and bowing.

"Welcome to Nourasia."

* * *

Each group of teams had been offered two rooms in the palace, one for each pilot. Since both Aikka and Canaan already had a room of their own (considering they already lived in the palace) it was decided that the rooms would go to Don and Eva. The two mechanics had wanted to remain close to their pride and joy, the _Refelction_, and Jordan had no problem with rolling out a sleeping bag and camping out with Stan and Koji. Because of all those years he had spent in the military, Jordan preferred it that way.

Aikka toured both Eva and Don through the palace. It was a mass of confusing tunnels and winding stairs. Thankfully, Eva's room was only on the second story, narrowing down the number of stories she would have to wander through. Once the two Weis had dropped off their belongings, Aikka led them to the throne chamber, where they were to meet the King and Queen of Nourasia.

Eva was rather nervous about meeting Aikka's parents. She couldn't help but feel a little self conscious meeting royalty in her day-to-day clothes: her yin-yang shirt, boy shorts, a pale green poncho with wings embroidered on the back, and a pair of simple hiking boots. The room was vast, with high ceilings and elegant pillars lining along the walkway to the dais. Two Nourasians were sitting in chairs of equal size. The king had more of a heavy build, with a huge mass of dark brown hair, and long drooping ears that fell almost to his waist. Though his eyes were the same pale purple as his daughter's, the clothing he chose to wear was far more lavish, and his skin was a similar red to Aikka's own. The Queen also wore elegant clothing, and had just as much hair as her husband. Her skin tone was close to Bevele's creamy tone, and her hair matched in shade to Aikka's. Aikka bowed to both his parents before he began his introduction.

"My King, Queen, May I introduce to you my racing partner Eva Wei, winner of the Great Race of Oban, and her father and manager, Don Wei, one of the most esteemed racing managers on Earth." Eva and Don both bowed low.

"I see you were both finalists on Oban. Does that make your racing easier?" Aikka's father asked in curiosity. He had a deep booming voice that almost seemed to demand respect.

"Yes it does. Oban was quite the experience." Eva replied.

"We appreciate meeting you, and would like to wish you good luck in the race." The Queen dismissed them urbanely; her voice was soft, like petals dancing on a breeze. Don thanked them, and he and Eva turned to leave.

"Miyranda, please show them to their rooms." The queen addressed one of the servants standing by the dais. "And Aikka, please stay. Your father and I have things we wish to speak to you about."

As soon as the servant had led the two Weis out of the room, the King began. "My Prince, I assume you first met this girl on Oban?" When Aikka nodded he went on. "Did you become friends?"

"Yes, And we aided each other many times." Aikka tried to make it sound as if they hadn't been more than friends. He wasn't quite sure if he was comfortable telling his parents how close Eva and he were yet.

"I suspect she is the reason you have been rejecting all the Nourasian women you ask for your hand?" The King asked with a smirk, with a single eyebrow raised. Aikka immediately blushed scarlet.

"Father, you know I have no interest in marriage at this time." Dropping formality, Aikka quickly adopted an excuse. The king let out a bark of laughter.

"How could I not know? I merely enjoy myself flustering you. Go, I am certain Canaan still needs your help with G'dar." The King dismissed his son with a wave of his hand. "I know you will do well racing tomorrow." Still red, Aikka bowed and left. A small frown had appeared on the Queen's face while this went on. Could Aikka actually have feelings for that Earth girl? It would be just like him. As a child he hid from his lessons, and as a young adult he insisted on racing, and now as a man, could he want an outsider for his bride? Though nothing was horribly wrong with Aikka marrying outside Nourasian culture (he wasn't inheriting the throne after all) sometimes the mother though he did such rebellious things just to spite his parents. If the King heard her thinking like this he would scold her.

"Aikka is himself, that is all." He had told her numerous times. Still, she couldn't help but worry what would become of her own remaining son.

(1) Mou (ow as in plow) is a card game famous for its single rule. "I can't tell you the rules." The actual rules vary between region and person, and some people are stricter on the keeping of the rules than others. The basic concept behind it (which is allowed to be told to newbies at the beginning of the game) is somewhat like Uno in that you're trying to get rid of all your cards.

(2) Redwoods are large trees famous for their huge size. They are commonly found in the US along the California and Washington coasts.


	12. Describing her Personality

Bonds

Disclaimer: If I was the almighty Savin…. I'd just keep doing what I'm doing!

Author's Note: Sorry for not getting this up for so long. Things have been crazy around here, finals, community service, A Climate Change Conference, though they've all been good things; they've just sucked all my free time dry.

Time for me to randomly suggest a good fic! _There and Back Again: Nothing Just Ends on Oban_ is a wonderfully written fic by **SekhmentDaCat**. The is wonderfully written, has plenty of amusing parts, and OC's that add more to the story, like an OC should. Go review their story now! It's awesome!

Chapter Twelve: Describing her Personality

The room Eva was to stay in for the following week gave her a chance to really experience Nourasian life. The floor had been done with a sort of ceramic tile mosaic. It made beautiful curving patterns that Eva was almost afraid to walk on. The furniture too was crafted beautifully. The bed was a soft mattress set on a carved frame with drawers built beneath. There was a writing desk, a wall mirror, and what Eva assumed to be a large dresser.

The mirror instantly captivated her. She set her large duffle bag down on her bed, and treading carefully so not to step of the prettier sections of the floor, she approached it. The mirror itself was oval, being maybe a half a meter tall. (about one and one half to two feet) The clear glass was edged in elegant curling bronze metal. Fascinated, Eva ran a finger along one of the curls, tracing it. Upon her touch, the mirror lit up a shining pure blue. (much the same as Aikka when he used his magic, Eva later realized) Her reflection in the mirror melted away to be replaced by that of a Nourasian woman. She said something in Nourasian that Eva couldn't understand. When the woman received no answer, she quickly asked in common: "May I be of assistance?"

When the different planets first began interacting with each other, they faced the problem of different languages. The Crogs weren't about to go around learning hundreds (if not more) of languages just so they could threaten other planets. Plus, how could trade between more than two planets occur? What language would be used? Surely if a group chose one over the others, they would be demoting the opposing faction! So, for the betterment of most, a common language was decided on. It was formed by a group of leading linguists in an attempt to make a universal tongue. Though at first the project went a bit awry, when no one could translate this new language to their own, the bugs were soon worked out, and everything began working smoothly. Even Earth (who was always behind when it came to improvements such as this) eventually picked it up, and began to teach it in their schools. It was called Common because it was the most commonly spoken language in this section of the Milky Way.

This matter aside, Eva now stared dumbly at the woman who had appeared in her mirror. After a bit of a staring contest, the Nourasian seemed to realize that Eva had no idea what was going on.

"I am called Miyranda. I am to make certain that the guests of the King and Queen are comfortable. The mirror is used to contact me or my fellow servants. May I being you something or lead you somewhere?"

Eva quickly apologized for bothering her, and attempted to break the connection. Then, with a bit of embarrassment, she asked how the mirror worked. Eva could tell this wasn't the first time Miyranda was forced to explain. Finally, with another apology and her gratitude, Eva was able to turn the mirror back to normal. It turned out all she had to do was trace the metal in the opposite direction. Eva was rather peeved that she hadn't been able to figure it out on her own.

Eva plopped down on the bed. Like the floors, the light blanket atop the sheets was embroidered in complicated designs. It was made of some sort of light wool, while the sheets below seemed to be made of a cotton blend. Eva then unzipped her duffle bag and began to remove her belongings, placing them in various spots around the room. She set her pink lap top on the writing desk with her drawing pad and a few pencils. Then she shifted through her clothing, placing the articles in the drawers beneath the bed.

"Come in!" Eva called as a knock sounded on her door. It was, of course, Don. He started up the usual conversation, such as how she liked the rooms, and whether or not she was nervous about the races later that week. Just when Eva was sure her father was about to return to his own room, he asked her the dreaded question.

"I didn't the chance to check back home, but I want to see what dress you picked out." He asked like the curious parent he was.

"You can't," Eva replied quickly, not being able to think up a better answer.

"Come now, surely you look fine." He assured her, assuming she was self conscious.

"No, it's not that," Eva tried to explain.

"Well then, let's see this dress of yours."

"The thing is, I don't have a dress." Eva replied.

The racing manager's eyes narrowed. "You didn't pack a dress." He said it aloud to confirm his suspicions.

"I looked, honest. There just weren't any that fit me." She finished lamely. Don put his head in his hands as he silently asked why every simple thing was so difficult for his daughter. After a moment's silence his head rose.

"Dress or no, you still will attend the party, young lady." He told her matter of factly.

"But why?! I'm just going to make _you_ look bad, remember?" Eva threw back at him. This wasn't going as planned.

"They'll be drawing lots for racing at the party. It will look _worse_ for Earth if you don't show up." Though Eva was tempted to continue this brewing storm of an argument, she liked to pride herself that she was no longer the rebellious little Molly from the Race of Oban. She had matured, and learned it would be far better to propose a solution rather than prolong an argument.

"Alright, I screwed up. I have to attend this party thing, so I'm going to need a dress right?" Her father nodded, curious what she was getting at. "I saw a market when we first arrived. I bet we can find some sort of Nourasian dress there."

"Eva, You remember how long it took last time I took you shopping for clothes?" Both Weis shuddered at the memory. "The event is taking place tonight! You expect us to find you a dress, and get you ready in that small time frame? It's simply out of the question. You'll have to go as you are."

"We have to at least try!" Her father gave up too easily, whereas Eva had inherited her determination from her mother. It took her several tries to convince her father to give in. She hated to involve Aikka, but considering she didn't know anyone else well enough to ask for a guide through the city, he would have to do.

Aikka was all too happy to comply, and as it turned out he became more than necessary when it turned out very few of the locals knew Common.

The market was a series of small shops in a maze of streets. Many of them had open windows with inviting displays and detailed signs written in what Eva recognized as Nourasian, though she couldn't read it. As the three walked down the cobbled streets, a friendly shopkeeper called out to Aikka. He was middle aged, and heavily set, with a smudged apron over his clothing of various browns. His shop seemed to be some sort of plant nursery. Aikka quickly began speaking to him, with a friendly smile of respect. After a quick greeting, and what Eva assumed was the sharing of a little small talk, Aikka turned and introduced her and Don.

"This is Korangar. He is a good friend, and started me with my gardening." Eva bowed to him in what she assumed was the standard Nourasian greeting. He laughed in a deep baritone voice, and patted her on the head. He then said something to Aikka. At this comment the Prince's dark skin melted to a redder tone, and he hastily replied. The Nourasian man just laughed all the harder, and patted Aikka on the shoulder before turning back to Don and Eva.

"He wants to know if you would like to see his precious plants." Aikka translated.

Eva nodded eagerly, "I would love to!"

"Eva, we don't have time for this," Don began, but his complaints were never heard as Eva rushed into Korangar's shop.

After this, they bustled through many different stores. It seemed everyone was eager to show Prince Aikka and his partner their shops. Eventually, they arrived at a store that held some promise. The shop belonged to a local who focused mainly on fine cloth and embroidery. Everything was exquisite with careful needlework and smooth fabric that Eva could only assume was some sort of silk. Unfortunately, before the old Nourasian woman who ran the shop could show them her dresses, Aikka was called away.

Canaan appeared in the doorway. Apparently, Aikka's younger sister Bevele had gone missing. This happened quite constantly, and Aikka was the only one who had any luck ever finding her.

Aikka tossed Eva a pouch as he followed Canaan. "I deeply regret that I can not stay longer. I do hope this will cover the dress. I look forward to seeing you at the party tonight!" He called as he raced down the cobbled streets toward the palace. Eva easily caught the little pouch as it landed in her hands with a jingle clank.

Though the dresses were all beautiful, there was one that stood out to Eva the most. It was a soft green tone with elegant copper embroidery that shimmered in the shape of multi-petalled flowers like gold. The way fabric was designed to wrap around her body reminded Eva a little of the Japanese kimonos back home. The sleeves, however, were far different. They were tight from shoulder up to a point right before her elbow, where they flared out halfway down her forearm with a slit along the material, making it flare all the more. Slits were placed on both sides of the dress to allow her some room to move. Nevertheless, they only ran to her knees, keeping the dress from being too revealing. It also came with special footwear. They reminded Eva of boots with open toes and an open strip running to the top. Shining clasps ran across the strip, securing the shoes to Eva's feet. Though there was a slight heel, it was less than an inch, which was good, considering what happened last time Eva tried wearing heels. Eva marveled over the dress, carefully running her fingers across the smooth material.

Don seemed pleased as well. "Why don't you try it on?" He asked with a smile. Eva held the dress up against her figure, and pantomimed to the shop keeper that she would need a dressing room of sorts. The old seamstress seemed to understand, and lead Eva to a small closet-like room secured by a curtain of cloth. Eva fumbled at bit with the clasps, but she was able to get the dress on. Don seemed to approve of this dress even more while his daughter was wearing it, consenting immediately to buy it. Eva was slightly wary on how to pay for her purchase (Nourasian currency came in the form of small sticks of different metals) considering she didn't know how much each piece was worth. But through yet more pantomime she managed to give the woman was she hoped was the correct amount.

* * *

The three children of the royal family had always been very close. It was even said that they were closer to each other than their parents. This had never come as much of a surprise to Canaan, taking into account how much of a refined manner it was custom to treat one's parents with. Canaan also had the impression that the death of their older brother Saikore during the War of Crogs had brought Aikka and Bevele even closer. This was demonstrated in how one sibling would always know the other's location. Bevele always knew when to search for Aikka in the city, or when to simply re-check his chambers. However, whenever a search within the palace was issued, they both took great care to direct other searchers in the opposite direction while they went directly to their sibling. Canaan reasoned that this was because they wanted to safeguard their hiding spots. While he understood, the old fencing master always found it to be such a pain to pretend to be looking when the royals already knew the exact location.

"Canaan, you check the East Library while I search in the North Tower." Even now, the Prince attempted to direct him away. Canaan merely nodded and turned away at the next hallway, knowing full well of the Prince's intentions.

Though there was no longer any need to hurry, Aikka still set a brisk pace past the North Tower, and up the winding stairs to the North Library. The room was vast and open, with a dome shaped ceiling and long narrow vertical stained glass windows that cast colorful strips of light across the shelves and shelves of books. Aikka wove through the shelves, his current destination being the pillar in the center of the room. The cylindrical pillar was coated in a layer carefully carved bookshelves. A staircase around these allowed for easy access to both the books and the area above. The second story of the North Library was like a web of cat walks lined with books. Weaving through these as well, Aikka made for the far left of the room. Even at this level the walls were also lined in book shelves, which were placed in-between the stretches of windows. He arrived at a tall bookshelf, and immediately took hold of the rolling ladder attached. Though Aikka was fairly sure no one else was in the library at this time, he looked about to be certain before proceeding to climb to the very top of the ladder, and on top of the bookshelf itself. Less than an arms length above him, the ceiling began, painted with a beautiful mural of the Nourasian Goddess of Nature, Tellus. (I had to make a reference to her sooner or later.) Aikka felt about the ceiling until his hands found a familiar indent. He pushed a small trap door open and heaved himself inside.

This hidden attic of sorts was the storage room for the North Library. Though it had originally been accessible from a small stair case clinging to the outside of the tower-like library, it had been damaged in the Crog War, and as of yet had not been fixed. The dull room was illuminated by an open window not far from the trap door. Sitting in the window's light with wind waving through her short hair, and a scroll held in her delicate hands was the Nourasian girl Aikka knew as his sister. She was so engrossed in the scroll she did not even bother to look up as Aikka stood over her.

"May I inquire what you are reading, Bevele?" He asked with an unusual air of politeness for a conversation between them.

"Philosophy from the Crog home planet, It is quite deep, and since I must focus all my concentration, I would ask you to leave." She replied, her light purple eyes not even glancing upward. Aikka sighed, his sister and her books. In years past, Bevele had pondered similar thoughts, though they had gone along the lines of: 'My brother and his books', and normally were accompanied by a sad shaking of her head.

"Canaan is looking for you for a reason yet unknown to me," He informed her. She set down her scroll in frustration.

"How am I to learn history and wisdom if I am not allowed to spend time in study?!" She threw her arms up in exasperation, complaining to no one in particular. Aikka picked up the scroll, scanning it over.

"For what reason does philosophy intrigue you so?" Aikka asked his sister, wincing at the dryness of the text.

"One thing I have learned from watching Father rule is, if you are not aware of history, then you are doomed to repeat it." Beleve launched into one of her little rants, and Aikka braced himself. "Before I reach the age that I will inherit the crown, I must learn from the wisdom of the Nourasian Philosophers, and understand the mistakes of our ancestors so I might better myself into a person who will act for the betterment of the people." Aikka nodded, surprised this rant had been so sort. Even since Saikore had died, his sister began to take her responsibilities seriously. She was growing wiser everyday, and her interest in the people continued to grow. If she continued at her current rate, then Aikka had no doubt she would become a wonderful Queen of Nourasia.

AN: This chapter was already too long, so I shall chop it short here. I hope this section answers any questions you might have about who is inheriting the throne.


	13. Dancing into Realization

Bonds

Disclaimer: If I was really Savin, the great Creator of Oban, I would have made a t-shirt with Eva, Aikka, and Jordy on it, instead of the Discman shirt, no matter how cool it is.

Author's Note: I'm giving you the next chapter very very early, but only because I'm nice. This whole chapter actually _should_ have been with the previous one, but I was running out of time, and I wanted to post something.

I also just realized that I've managed to drag one day out into three chapters. I'm rather impressed with myself.

Chapter Thirteen: Dancing into Realization (Wow! Thirteen chapters already?!)

The evening had come, and Aikka walked nervously to Eva's chamber. He prayed she would be ready for the party. His own clothing was formal as well. He wore pale blue pants under boots of a dark leather. His over jacket was a deep blue with dark brown edging and a light white shirt beneath. The decorative armor on his shoulders secured a flowing cloak of the same dark brown as his boots about him. His hair and head piece were much the same as usual, though he had spent quite a bit of time fussing to make sure it was in the correct place. His deeply colored knuckles knocked hesitantly against Eva's door.

"Come in!" He heard her voice call from the other side. Aikka gingerly opened the door. Standing in front of the mirror, Eva was now fussing over her appearance, with Don adding the final touches to her hair, all the while assuring she looked fine.

Only years of learning to control his facial expressions kept Aikka's jaw from completely falling off his face, and he stared rather dumbly at Eva. He had never seen her all dressed up before, with toenails sparkling pale green, and her bangs pinned to the side of her face, framing her crimson eyes. Though Eva had never been a curvy girl, (with more of an athlete's build) her dress seemed to highlight her body, making what little curve she did have pronounced. For jewelry, she wore copper studs, and two dangling gems made of some diamond imitation. Around her wrist was the bracelet Aikka had given her back on Oban. It matched perfectly with the dress. After applying a layer of pink lip gloss, she turned to smile at Aikka with shimmering lips.

Aikka quickly regained his composure, and bowed to her as a knight would bow to a princess. "May I have the honor of escorting you to the palace ballroom?" Eva played along with him, nodding her head low in a miniature bow.

"If only you would be so kind." She locked her arms with his, and they lead the way through the palace, a twitching Don following behind.

* * *

The ballroom was grand with a high domed ceiling smothered in murals, and floors covered in finer tile work than in Eva's room. Long tables had been set out covered in refreshments. Sitting on a raised platform were the King and Queen as well as the young Nourasian Eva recognized as Bevele.

As soon as Eva, Don and Aikka entered the room they were greeted by Stan, Koji and Jordan. The three men had all dressed for the occasion. Stan's hair was slicked back, and he had poofed out his sideburns. He was wearing a nice dress shirt accompanied by a pair of fancy dark blue dress slacks and a matching vest. Koji had pulled his messy black hair back into a ponytail, and wore a dark brown suit that made him look like a college professor. Unlike the two mechanics, Jordan looked uncomfortable and awkward in his suit and bow tie. To tell the truth, he had tried everything to fix his hair, but after many attempts and too many weird styles, the ex-soldier found he liked it best just leaving the multi-colored hair as was.

"Eva, you look really nice." Koji observed with surprise; Both Stan and Jordan nodded in agreement.

She smiled back at them. "Thanks."

Jordan hung back as the others conversed, eventually dispersing while Aikka led Eva to the dance floor. On the other side of the room, Jordan could see Nourasians playing strange instruments. The music they made was smooth and hypnotic, like a piece made by that old composer Beethoven played on the harp with an accompaniment of a loud twittering flute and a few brass instruments. Jordan then turned his attention to Eva and Aikka where the Prince was attempting to teach her how to dance. Jordan snorted: The Prince would soon learn what a lost cause that was. Eva couldn't even learn the simplest of Earth dances, how could Aikka expect her to learn the Nourasians ones? (Which as Jordan understood were far more complicated with intricate steps and required more grace than Eva would ever have.)

Still, Aikka kept trying. He even seemed to be enjoying himself, no matter how many blunders she made. It took Jordan a few minutes of observation to realize why. It seemed to him that it didn't matter to Aikka if Eva couldn't dance; It was just spending time with her that that pleased Aikka the most. An uneasy feeling began to gurgle about in the ex-gunner's stomach. Jordan knew this feeling well enough to be able to identify it almost instantly. _Jealousy?_ He thought to himself, a frown growing on his tanned face. _Why am I jealous of Aikka?_ Though they had been rivals back on Alwas and Oban, the time spent together during the war had melted them together like two wads of sticky gum. They were friends, war buddies. Why was Jordan suddenly feeling jealous of the Nourasian Prince? Aikka was spending time with Eva, Jordan supposed that could be why. As her partner and good friend, he had the right to be jealous when Eva was spending time with others more than him. Nevertheless, when he saw her smiling face he couldn't help but doubt is theory.

A few more minutes passed by until Jordan was stuck with another thought like lightning. Could he have possibly developed feelings for the female pilot? Horrified, Jordan's thoughts fell into disarray. How could this have happened without his knowing? She smiled again, and Jordan felt his hear skip a beat before he could stop himself. _No!_ He told himself firmly. _I should be happy for them, not jealous!_ _Eva was my partner, she's like my little sister._ _How could I betray her with feelings like this?! _Turmoil raged about Jordan's insides. He couldn't understand his own feelings.

Jordan was so preoccupied that he didn't hear the calling of his name. It took the speaker three tries before Jordan finally turned around, still a little shaken from his previous thoughts.

"Jordan! It's been a long time!" The owner of the shout was a fuzzy mammal-like creature, a Terratite. His whole body was covered in a short layer of fur, with a dog-like tail to match, and large triangular ears that popped from the top of his head like some bizarre mix between a cat and a dog gone wrong. His large yellow eyes started at Jordan intently as the figure grinned. His overall build was like that of a cat walking on its hind legs with a more humanoid torso. Webs that looked like rubber connected his three stubby fingers and his thumb on each hand like an amphibian, and whiskers that looked more like bright blue antenna stuck out of the side of his face, and above his bushy eyebrows. The Terratite wore brightly colored clothing adorned with shiny beads and embroidery.

Jordan recognized him immediately as one of the Terratite soldiers who had been sent to Nourasia as aid. "Adnarim," He grinned at his old buddy, glad to be distracted. "You told me you could fly, but I never thought you'd be good enough to make it to the finals!"

"You know me Jordan, I have no interest in bragging." The fuzzy creature responded, his voice just slightly deeper than Jordan's. "But what brings you here? I was informed there were to be no guns in this competition." Adnarim asked with an air of curiosity in his shining yellow eyes.

"A good friend of mine needed a bodyguard, and I just happened to have the training." Jordan explained with a shrug as Adnarmin nodded in understanding.

"Adnarim, Who do you speak with?" A soft voice asked from behind the two. The female Terratite that stood behind them had a shy air and clothing just as bright and disorderly as her male counterpart's. Though her short fur was a soft yellow, unlike Adnarim's bright orange, her long wispy hair was dyed so many bright colors it looked like a rainbow itself. Random locks were braided or beaded, though majority of the hair fell to her waist in a mass of curls and waves.

"Nasyue, meet Jordan, a good man I met during the Crog War, and Jordan meet my younger sister Nasyue." Adnarim did a simple introduction.

Jordan offered the Terratitian woman a friendly smile. "Nice to meet you, Nasyue. Are you Adnarim's healer?"

She quickly shook her head back and forth, her locks wavering as she did. "I possess no such talent. I only cook for my brother." She focused a stare at her feet (though they were really more like paws).

Jordan laughed. "I should have guessed. Adnarim's cooking could kill a Crog." The one of topic nodded his head sadly, in complete agreement.

Nasyue quickly shrunk away while the two friends talked. Had she have been human, she would have blushed as she watched Jordan intently. He was so handsome, and so friendly. And his hair! Oh how it fascinated her! Though her own strands had maybe twenty more colors than the ex-soldier's, his simple combination intrigued her. She wanted to reach out and touch it, but she had no courage, especially to act towards a man as handsome as him.

* * *

Don was not at all pleased with the way his daughter was acting. _Just one more week, Just one more week and we will return to Earth without the Nourasian. _He continued to repeat to himself over and over again. Being locked in such a narrow path of thought, it was amazing Don noticed the other racers as they milled about. His eyes widened, and a gasp escaped his lips. That racer, the Fihl, the one who had raced Eva, and most importantly, the one who had been racing Maya when she died: This was Spirit. Just then the music stopped abruptly, and the Nourasian royalty called attention to themselves. The Nourasian Princess introduced herself and welcomed all the racers to Nourasia, congratulating them for making it this far. She then explained how the races would be taking place. They would draw lots; the four teams would pair up and race against each other. The two finalists would then race against each other in the grand finale. As all of the members of the highly diversified teams watched on, the Princess drew out the names. For the first race Earth and the Nourasia would go up against Spirit and his ally, and the Trreatites and their partners (who happened to be Umbatah) would be racing against a team like looked like reptilian people, and some sort of flying snake with wings. After the announcement was given the teams began to disperse to their own rooms. Don shivered as he passed Spirit on his way back. First thing in the morning he was going to do his best to talk Eva out of racing tomorrow.

* * *

Jordan's face fell into his hands in despair. Why hadn't he just waited for Stan and Koji? Feeling uncomfortable, Jordan had left as soon as the lots were drawn. Unfortunately, even with all the time he had spent in the palace during the Crog War, he had still managed to get himself utterly and completely lost. _If I hadn't been so busy thinking about Eva…_ He scolded himself. His feelings were tangled, and the poor gunner was entirely confused. Did he really like Eva? If so what was he going to do about it? _Nothing_. He decided. _I will do nothing to change our relationship from what it was-no, what it is. _

"Why am I so stupid?!" He cried to the ceiling in despair.

"Umm… Excuse me?" It took Jordan a second to recognize Nasyue. "Are you lost?" Jordan had never been good at asking for directions, and even now he hesitated before replying.

"Yah."

"I can lead you to the hanger." The Terratite offered in her soft voice.

"Thanks." Jordan replied, as he followed the Terratie, unknowing of the blush beneath her fur.

* * *

Night had long since fallen, and all of the pilots had returned to their rooms, Aikka being no exception. He sat on his window ledge, staring out through colored panes at the dark world before him. He was wearing simple white pants and an attached shirt. His head piece and the ties that held his hair in place had been removed, leaving a mass of messy red-mahogany hair sticking out at odd angles. Though the Prince had made many futile attempts to sleep, his mind was consumed by thoughts, and after a time, he had given up, finding it better to move to a place where he could actually think. Aikka was just considering going back to his bed when he heard the gentle creek of his door being opened. He cursed to himself: If it was a member of one of the radical groups trying to assassinate the royal family, there was no way he would get to his dagger on time, seeing as it was on the stand next to his bed, right next to the door. As soon as the being entered, Aikka would have to take them out using hand-to-hand combat. He relaxed instantly when he saw a starred face peek around the corner, whispering his name in a familiar tone.

"Aikka?" Eva asked. "Are you still up?" Aikka nodded, motioning for her to come sit down beside him on the window ledge.

"What troubles you Eva?" He asked the Earth teen.

"I just can't sleep," She admitted. "I was curious if you wanted to talk."

"Concerning our race tomorrow?" From Eva's face, he could tell he hit the nail on the head. "Does racing against Spirit worry you?"

Eva shifted uncomfortably; it was a sore subject for her. "Last time I raced Spirit… Well, Stan and Koji had to completely re-build the _Arrow_." Aikka nodded, remembering how he had witnessed the whole thing. Though he never quite understood it, he had hoped that Eva had made her peace with the Fihl.

Aikka eyebrows furrowed. "That is not the extent of your troubles, is it?"

Eva shook her head. "No. My dad doesn't trust me to race against Spirit again. I don't think the Earth Team does either." She looked off into the darkness, her eyes clouded with doubt and uncertainly. Aikka couldn't bare to see her like this. He quickly pulled her into a hug as if he could shield her from all the world's problems.

"You'll be fine." He cooed softly in her ear. "Besides, I shall be at your side this time." From her position, Eva snorted.

"And how exactly will that help me regain the trust of my teammates?" Aikka sighed, why was she being so pessimistic?

"I'm sure your team has regained faith in you. Your piloting skills are far superior to well you raced on Alwas." He released her from his hug. Eva yawned, and Aikka swore he could stuff a small shajeep (1) in her open mouth.

"Whatever." It occurred to Aikka that whenever Eva seemed to be loosing an argument, she would just brush his comments aside. It perturbed him quite a bit.

"If you don't care for my opinions, then what compels you to ask?" He grumbled with a frown. Though the day's activities were beginning to wear on Eva, she wasn't going to let herself fall asleep yet.

"Because you make sure wonderful faces!" She joked, poking his cheek with a childish smile. Aikka pretended to take offense.

"Humf, Then you should know your face is most peculiar as well." He replied with a snooty air. Eva glared; he did that a little _too_ well.

"I'm peculiar? Just look at your hair; you look like a cat that just got in a fight!" She tugged at his messy hair.

"And your hair is not strange?" Aikka shot back, raising his eyebrows. "It has two colors." Eva yawned again before pointing out that her locks were purposely done as so, and on Earth it considered quite fashionable. Aikka retorted that fashion or no, it was still ridiculous. Eva stuck out her tongue at him.

He two quickly faced opposite directions, pretending to be angry.

Aikka gave in first, and broke the silence. "Eva you know we'll be fine in our race tomorrow?"

She sighed. "Yah, I guess." She yawned again, and squirmed around a bit, looking for the best position. In the end, she slumped over on Aikka's shoulder, eyes closed. He propped himself against the wall and the window, providing support, then he wrapped his arm around her. Eva's warmth was so inviting, and Aikka couldn't stop himself from pulling her into his lap. She didn't resist, only snuggling closer. Her head ended up resting against Aikka's shoulder, and he buried his face into her hair. Beneath the smells of sweat and shampoo was Eva's own unique scent. It captivated the Nourasian as he felt his own eyes drooping. Falling asleep with Eva so close to him was the most wonderful thing he had ever felt, and he wished every second could be just half as nice. For a moment, he realized what would happen if a palace servant discovered them cuddled up in his room like this. With a sigh, he shrugged it off. Everything else could wait until tomorrow, when he wasn't holding Eva so closely in his arms.

(1) – A Shajeep is a small rabbit/sheep like creature native to Nourasia. Their wool is used in the production of cheaper Nourasian clothing. The average size of a Shajeep is that of a small rabbit.

A/N: Please review! I like reviews! They make me write chapters faster.


	14. Needing to Focus

**Bonds**

Disclaimer: If I was the all supreme Savin, or had some hand in the creation of Oban, I would have made a side episode focused on the Scubb, Pluu-towed, who's live was ruined after a certain Earth gunner refused to buy a blue dress.

Author's Note: First off, I want to clear up some things about Nasyue and Jordan. Don't get your hopes up too high peoples, it took Jordan three years to realized he liked Eva, good luck getting him to notice the little cat-girl.

I have over a hundred reviews! That's over a hundred people! You don't know just how happy I am! I could squee with delight! SQUEEE! There's a lot of people who disserve a big special Thank you for helping me get this far.

Fushica: You always gave me such funny reviews! For making me smile, and being my chum on DA, I shall give you a box of Kross's wonderful doughnuts. Do with them as you please. :)

Star Fata: Always pushing me to do better! I love your reviews because they give me such insight, and give me the critiquing I need. One gallon of multi-flavored ice-cream for you!

Spellcaster Hikaru: Gave me some great ideas and helped my iron out some of my own mixed ideas. She was the one who suggesting bringing Spirit back. I give thee two pounds of fudge!

Virtual Dragon of Oban: Beta read a few of my chapters, and continues to help me bounce with ideas. I love your emails! –_Hugs-_ I present you with one magical jump drive!

And to everyone else who is constantly reviewing: _simmie, Lupe191919, greenyasha, PPP, thechinkenlittle, shinpachi-is-the-best_, _IchikoKitsuneKoumori_ and _StrugglingAritst_! I love you all! Plus my Chapter Thirteen Reviewers, _Sekai Nerah, SekhmetDaCat, Natasha, Hopeless Romantic 15, Ithildin Lanthir, _and _Natalie_! Everyone who reviewed gets a Jordan plush and an Aikka plush!

**Chapter Fourteen: Needing to Focus**

When Aikka slowly awoke, he could tell that the Nourasian sun was not long to embrace the horizon. The tinted glass perverted the roseate sky into a vibrant range of colors. At the time when the sun and the mountains beyond finally did meet, the palace servants would be quick to follow. When Aikka had first grown old enough to be permitted his own chambers, the way the servants would come in to wake him every morning aggravated him to some level of extremity. After a time, he had trained himself to wake up fifteen to thirty Earth minutes before the sun rose, thus giving him plenty of time to get completely dressed and ready his hair. This habit still held.

Aikka stared at the back of Eva's mess of red and black hair that hung just centimeters from his face. The rumors that would circulate should a palace servant walk in on them cuddled up like this were enough to make the Nourasian Prince shiver. The servants liked to gossip, and before he knew what was going on, the story would be blown completely out of proportion. His parents would be _most_ unpleased with him if they were to hear that he bedded his fellow pilot the first night here. No doubt she would be sent home in shame, which was not something the Nourasian wanted. It was quite the contrary, he wanted his parents to like Eva. Maybe even like her enough for Aikka to be able to explain his feelings for the girl without their disappointment. Yes, this situation had to be remedied immediately.

Still, Aikka had to ask himself what he had been thinking. How could he allow himself to fall into a situation like this when the livelihood of their relationship (mostly the King and Queen's like or dislike of Eva) was so fragile? Sure, Eva had felt so nice in his arms, and her smell had been intoxicating, but to allow himself to actually fall for it? Well, the Prince was rather disappointed in himself.

Eva moaned quietly in her sleep, bringing Aikka back to the problem at hand. "Eva, Eva." He whispered softly in her ear.

Eva replied in an indecipherable moan, stirring just enough to shift her position on Aikka's lap. He smiled at her complete ridiculousness before moving his lips so the hovered directly by her ear, and whispering more urgently.

"Eva, you must awaken." Once again, an indecipherable noise came from deep inside her throat, much like that of a cat growling. In her struggle to ignore Aikka, she maneuvered her body completely around, and buried her face in his white shirt. Aikka sighed as she mumbled something akin to 'Go away'. He attempted to dislodge her, but like a leech, she clung desperately, refusing to let go.

Staring at the girl, Aikka realized there was only one thing left to do. Once again, his lips went to her ears, but instead of whispering this time, he planted a wet, sloppy kiss on her ear with a loud squelching sound. Eva instantly recoiled, as if she had been burned by acid. She wiped the slime from her ear with such an expression of disgust Aikka feared he should burst out laughing. The glare she gave him promised she would soon have her revenge.

"All right. I'm up. Now whadda ya want?" Aikka seemed rather pleased to have finally accomplished his original goal.

"I believe it would be best if we returned to out own rooms now. I fear what rumors might initiate should it be discovered we spent the night together." The evil gleam fled Eva's eyes, to be replaced by realization and urgency.

"I should probably get back to my room then." He nodded. She stood up, stretching as her bare feet touched the floor. Though sitting in Aikka's lap had been more than comfortable, her body was not pleased with the position her back had been in, and protested with a sore throb. She reached for Aikka's door when a strong hand around her waist caused her to turn around.

"Thank you for last night, Eva. I-I had never slept so well." She smiled at the blush that had started to form on the Nourasian's deep colored skin.

"It as nice. I felt protected, safe." She admitted. Words were no longer needed, and their lips met in a passionate kiss. They kissed each other a few times, before the sound of the door opening startled them.

(It would be so fun to stop here, but contrary to popular belief, I'm not that evil.)

Occasionally, when the previous day had been miserable for Aikka, or when the Prince was overly tired, Canaan would take the task of waking him up in the morning. It wasn't fair that one of the seemingly random undeserving servants had to deal wit the Prince's wrath when he was in a bad mood. Plus, if the first person Aikka saw in the morning was a familiar face, it always put him in a good mood. As for today, Canaan reasoned the Prince would be weary from his travels and therefore sleep in longer than usual. The mentor felt that he should be the one to wake is sleeping student, as a good deed. He also had a few things needed to discuss with the Prince, however, the scene he walked in on gave him all the answers he needed.

"My Prince, the time has come to awak-" He froze mid sentence as the door gave him a complete view of the couple. It did not take the two three seconds to separate, blushing profoundly at being discovered.

"My Prince, surely you did not-" Canaan began, horrified. The Prince was still in his own sleeping clothes, and the clothes of the Earthen girl, Eva, were surely not her day attire. The sheets of Aikka's bed were messy and rumpled , and how the two had been clinging to each other with lips touching… This lead Canaan to one assumption; an assumption he prayed to the Father God wasn't true.

"Canaan, we did no such thing." Though he seemed a bit startled, Aikka quickly stood up to defend the accused.

"Though I am not one to doubt your words, the two of you must understand how this looks." Canaan began slowly.

"Please listen to him. We were just talking last night, and I sort of fell asleep." Eva admitted. This was all her fault. If she had just been wise and stayed in her own bedroom…

"I see," Though Canaan was not entirely convinced, he knew the Prince well enough to see the truth in his words. "Still, I would advise that both of you are more _careful _in the times you choose to spend together. Sometimes their ramifications might be," He struggled for the correct word. "Unpleasant." With his lecture finished, Canaan shooed Eva off to her own room before the other servants were up and about, and urged the Prince to fully dress himself.

* * *

When Eva reached her room she quickly began changing. As she ran a brush through her short red and black hair she realized its grease content. There were no showers or baths in the Nourasian guest rooms, so regrettably, she hadn't bathed since the morning they had left. She ran her fingers through the clumpy hair and winced at the shiny grease that had gathered in them. There was no question about it. She needed a shower, and needed one soon. She was pondering whether or not to use the magical Nourasian mirror to ask for where she could bathe when a knock sounded on her door.

"Hello?" Her nose peeked through the gap, as if expecting there was some sort of danger on the other side.

"Eva," It was the girl's father. "We need to talk."

The way their voices rose, the conversation should have actually been categorized as a shout, but who was keeping track?

There was no way Eva was going to drop out now. She had worked too hard to get here. Plus, it was just getting good; this race was finally a chance to be challenged like she was on Oban and Alwas.

Don didn't care if she wanted a challenge. There was not one thing that was worth risking her life, nothing!

Well, as Eva retorted, this race wasn't risking her life at all! It was a clean race like all the others, with no weapons. If he was suggesting that Spirit somehow made this race dangerous, than Don was horribly wrong.

"Eva, I know you were too little to remember, but Spirit has always been a very aggressive racer. You remember your mother's last race?" The father paused, as though no more explanation was needed.

"I remember it as well as you!" Anger poured from Eva's mouth. That scene: No matter how many years past, it would not fade away. "I just remember it differently…" The image of her mother waving Spirit on came to mind. "Back on Alwas, after I crashed the _Arrow II_ in the race against Spirit I thought I had destroyed him. I felt as if I had avenged Mom, and that was all that was important." Don froze. He had no idea his daughter had felt such hate and anger against the other racer. For the last three years he'd tried his hardest to provide her the best, but it seemed he didn't know his Eva as well as he thought he did. Or, at least, he didn't know Molly. Eva took a deep breath before continuing. "Then Spirit hovered over me, and I fell unconscious realizing I had failed. It was when I was out that Spirit showed me a vision." Eva explained what she had seen; her mother's beautiful star-racer zooming along as a thread of sticky smoke leaked from her left reactor. The view came in closer, so Maya was visible through the pink cockpit glass. She shook her head sadly, and waved Spirit on. Just as the view passed, her star-racer burst into flames, hurtling toward the finish line before exploding into a thousand fiery pieces, like a thousand dreams and hopes, gone. "Spirit just ended up as the unlucky one to race Mom. It wasn't his fault." Eva ended solemnly.

Thoughts jumbled, Don stared at his shiny black shoes. All this time, he had never known. He had harbored such hate and resentment toward the Fihls, yet it had been misplaced all this time. "Eva…" He began. The young woman frowned at him.

"Save it, Dad. I'm racing no matter what!" He smiled at her attitude: so much like her mother's.

"Alright young lady! We have a race to prepare for!" He quickly adopted his serious race managing tone.

"But Da-ad!" Eva whined. "I still need breakfast!"

* * *

Jordan sat down in the stands rather uneasily. His heart was still doing flip-flops over Eva. No matter how he scolded himself there was no changing his feelings. It didn't help any that Eva was about to go up against Spirit again. Last time she had raced the Fihl it hadn't been pretty. Stan and Koji also seemed rather concerned. Jordan could tell that their worries extended beyond their current baby, the _Reflection_, and onto the girl pilot. Last time she had nearly killed herself and Jordan; who knew what would happen this time?

The Nourasian stands were carved from white stone into elegant organic shapes and decorated in graceful designs. As Jordan figured it, if the Nourasians built something that was going to be standing for a long while, then heck it was going to look good! The stands were massive, with two large ones positioned on either side of the track. The track too, looked like much careful planning had gone into its production. It looked like a great twisting snake, constantly overlapping and curling, and even going underground in some places. At the moment it was divided into two sections: one would be used for this race, and the other for the semi-final after it. As Jordan understood, for the actual final, the entire track would be used. Besides twists and turns, giants of trees and huge white rocks bordered and became part of the rack. At the very center of the attraction a colossal white pillar jutted from a natural lake surrounded by multicolored flowers and small trees that looked oriental. The pillar was topped by a strange orb that served as a sort of screen, showing a zoom in of all the contestants.

It had always felt weird for Jordan to be staring down at his ex-partner in her star-racer, waiting for the signal to go. It was as if he was suppose to be down there, right next to her in the turret, defending her from everything that came their way. Sadly enough, he actually missed the constant danger, the rush of adrenaline when he thought they were going to die. He would give almost anything to be down there, right now, back in the _Arrow III_, ready to face off against some alien, just like in the good old days.

In the good old days, she was his partner, and he was her gunner, with none of these ridiculous feelings of love. Aikka was just a friend and a rival, not a love interest, and Don Wei, well, he was just a grouchy manager. _Yes_, Jordan sighed. _Those were the days._

The sudden flashing of the orb directed Jordan back to the track. Soon now, the race would begin. His blood seemed to bubble with anticipation. Even before Oban, Jordan had been fascinated with star-racing. Sure, it took up a lot of resources and man-power that could otherwise be put to better use, but it was all worth it. He had such awe reserved for the pilots and their mind boggling maneuvers. It had always been a side-interest of his, and when Don had first accepted him as the gunner for the Earth Team, he couldn't hold back his excitement: the chance to be part of an actual racing team and protect Earth at the same time! Still, even the fan he was hadn't prepared him for all the complex terms (in some cases just crazy abbreviations and acronyms) or the pure thrill. Perhaps he should re-phrase that: pure terror. Sure, he was protected by all the star-racer's safety installments, and the skill of the pilot themselves(which at sometimes was what scared him most), but nothing made up for the fact that when they weren't being rammed, shot at, or sliced in two, he feared that they might hit a wall, or Eva would die from a heart attack or something, leaving him in a star-racer completely out of control. All that aside, it had been simply amazing. The only other time Jordan had been so changed by an event was the Crog War, but that was another tale in itself.

* * *

From her position in the _Reflection_, Eva could practically hear Don worrying back in the temporary control room Stan and Koji (with Jordan's help, of course) had set-up in the hanger. Don had asked the two mechanics to check over her star-racer maybe ten or twenty times now. He was constantly looking to the computer panel that monitored her condition. Just one slightly unusual beat enough to make his own heart jump.

"How are the tanks and the engines?" He asked Stan.

"Fine Sir." Stan did not even look up from his screen as he calculated, his irritated tone drifting about him.

"Did you check?" Don asked, anger rising.

"Sir, he checked just thirty seconds ago-" Koji began to protest.

"I don't care! He'll check it again!" Don spat.

"Cool it Dad!" Eva's face appeared on the screen. "I'm fine! Stop picking on Stan and Koji!" Her father complied a bit grudgingly, and Koji gave her his thanks. Though Stan was thankful too, and said as much, he couldn't help but feel that his manliness was being compromised by Eva sticking up for him.

* * *

Eva smiled at Aikka through the cockpit's glass. She wished her computer would allow her to open a link directly between the two of them, just like how she had talked to Jordan before their races. If she thanked Aikka for his comforting words the previous night while Don was listening, not doubt he'd get suspicious, which was not something she wanted when he was in one of his moods. And they said her temper had been inherited from her mother!

It didn't matter if Eva couldn't thank Aikka now, his words had still had the desired affect: her confidence was back, and she was ready for the race. And so, apparently, were her competitors. Spirit had already changed into his bird-like form, and was fluttering up and down, anxious to shoot forward. Even his partner seemed to quiver with excitement. Though the name escaped her, Eva had seen this sort of creature before. It reminded her vaguely of blue Jello with three grapefruits floating about inside. The Jello-monster was currently formed in a cubulair shape about two meters (figure a meter is about three and a half feet roughly) along the edges.

As a bright blue flash shown from the towering orb, Eva flew forward like a bird on the wind. A long lost adrenaline rush returned to her from the Lost and Found box of her experiences. This wasn't a pathetic Earth race on a perfectly round track with a clean course. No, this was something different. Weaving through the surroundings, evading enemies; this was a real race, the type Eva lived for.

With quick thoughts and reactions to match, the _Reflection_ claimed first place. It wasn't long lived, however, as Spirit, still the wily flyer Eva remembered, slipped around her blind spot and snatched first place. Eva pushed on her gas pedal with such force that she nearly crashed into Spirit (who flew to the left just in the nick of time) and flew head on into a mass of roots that had come up into her path of travel before she realized it. Only her quick reflexes saved her as she squeezed through a small gap between the roots. Stan openly winced as the hard barked roots of generous size scraped off paint in long stretches.

But Eva wasn't worried about the _Reflection_ now. She yanked up, clearing the final roots and releasing the brake to favor the gas. She was easily able to zoom up underneath Spirit, who hadn't seen her coming. She hovered right beneath him for a moment before jerking violently upward. The Fihl was forced to stop suddenly to avoid her, so as to not become a delicious Fihl pancake. (Yum.) There was no stopping Eva now as she cruised forward at max speed.

Aikka was having his own problems. It wasn't the track, he too had experience from Oban, plus he had raced on this very track many times before. He was simply astounded at the gelatinous creature. It snaked forward with such amazing speed! It could easily keep up with G'dar, and then some. As the strange blob crept dangerously close to his tail, a tendril of jelly reached out, as of the creature had suddenly gained an extra appendage. (Don't you wish you could do that?) Terrified by the touch of the oddity, G'dar screeched, and pumped his wings even faster. He had personal space, thank you very much! But even with this the Jello of Doom easily came up on their tail again, looking as if it would pass.

"_Um Sakai, G'dar wakar!_" The beetle's shell suddenly shown white with glowing blue markings that curled about like the beautiful embroidery on some of Aikka's dress shirts. At his new speed, G'dar flew up and over the cube, leaving it behind in the dust. G'dar passed Spirit, and slowed ever so slightly so he was in-line with the _Reflection_.

"Be cautious Eva. Something about that gelatinous creature does not bode well." Aikka told her over the head set.

"Got it!" Eva took his information and stored it away in her memory banks.

"Behind you!" Don shouted, his voice echoing in the cockpit. Spirit and the cube were gaining on them.

Eva pulled her star-racer into a jerky turn around a 90 degree curve in the track. Their opponents were gaining fast, and Eva couldn't think of a way to shake them. A mass of roots and foliage blocked the way ahead. Pulling into a barrel roll, Eva dove into the blockage, hoping to slow down those behind her. Though Spirit was dramatically hindered, the cube seemed to be going faster than before. It squished flat to fit underneath a low branch; it grew in size to climb over a tall root. It was shocking just how efficient the thing was. It passed them, and appeared to disappear into the foliage.

"Where'd it go?" Eva nearly shouted, glancing about with nervous intensity as she wove.

"I can't pick it up on the scanners!" Koji told her with an air of panic.

"Don't worry about that thing! Focus on what's in front of you!" Don ordered, claming everyone.

For once in her life, Eva obeyed, dodging the remaining roots and limbs before reaching clear track again. Further ahead the track dipped into an underground tunnel. Eva had two choices: try to weave through the thick growth of plants, or take a dark, open route. Eva chose the foliage: she was better at dodging what she could see. Aikka, however, who was right on her tail, had this track memorized. He knew every root and rock in that tunnel, and could easily navigate it. He urged G'dar below. Just as Aikka entered the tunnel, Spirit shot from the first environmental blockage like he was being chased. Leaves and braches had been caught in his long tendril-like feathers. He didn't even look downward at the tunnel as he plowed after Eva.

Up, left, down, right, left again, Aikka easily wove through. He had no light, and needed none, until G'dar flew headfirst into a strange bouncy object that wasn't supposed to be there. Aikka was thrown off his mount as the beetle reared backwards, screeching. Quickly recovering, Aikka got to his feet and uttered the spell for light. He gasped. The Jello of Doom had stretched itself out to make a complete barrier, sealing off the tunnel. It made a gurgling sound, as if to say, 'Good luck getting past me, Bub.' Aikka swore in Nourasian(a rather unprincely habit Canaan was not pleased with). If he went backwards out of the tunnel, the thing would just shoot out the mouth, and overcome Eva, and if Aikka waited, the race was over for him. Either way was bad for the prince.

"Eva." Aikka's voice sounded in her star-racer. He had chosen the lesser of two evils. "The cube has me trapped; this race is now up to you."

"I guess you should have listened to your own advice, Prince." Eva told him with a grin. She wasn't worried for his safety, this was a clean race after all.

"Flaunt all you like; a wall of gelatin is not something I can do anything about." He told her with a huff. She laughed, and was about to reply when Don shouted t her to focus on the race. She navigated through branches and back onto clear track. There! The finish line was within sight, positioned right by the lake. Eva engaged the hyper-drive and shot forward, crossing the finish line and taking a spot in the finals.


	15. Exploring the Corners

**Bonds**

Disclaimer: If I really owned Oban, at least once some character would say. "That's not natural." At that time Kross, fully attired in a school girl outfit, would run in, do the can-can, and run out.

Author's Note: I'm really, really sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up. I have had no time to write, and my muse kind of keeled over and died. Plus my hatred for this story has grown. I see the mistakes other make in their stories, and I'm making the same ones! Gah… I'm such a hypocrite. Though I'm tempted to just stop now, I didn't write forty-two thousand, (I think it's forty-seven thousand now) words for nothing. I'll finish this, and then I'll scorn it.

Thanks to everyone who asked me to write more about Spirit. I really inspired me for the beginning, and made me actually clear things up with him. Of anyone has any other suggestions, please do not hesitate to comment!

The bathing hall further in is based primarily off the Greeks. They're awesome!

**Lupe191919: **Lolz. I had a lot of fun making Canaan walk in on Aikka and Eva. I'm glad you liked it too. Oh Noes! Don't worry I'll save you! –gets stuck inside herself- Um… This could be a problem.

**Fushica:** I just sat in front of my lovely TiVo equipped TV, and wrote the words down as I heard them, nothing too special about that. Wait, _you're_ the jello of doom?! -GASPES- Um… Can I eat you? I'm glad those doughnuts can be of use to you!

**DramaQueen of the Moon:** I'm glad I could appease you. I try to update quickly, but unfortunately, the Gods have something against me. –glances about nervously-

**thechickenlittle:** Eva's just lucky like that. I mean she has _both_ Jordan and Aikka fighting over her. Te he. Thanks. Yes, I somehow couldn't see Aikka having grown up with out having learned at least a few swear words.

**Star Fata:** I wondered that very same question as I typed it! But being my lazy self, I didn't feel like going back a re-writing that section. Oh… But I wanted to look it up at But you've inspired me with your reviews so many times! How can you deny your goodness? Don't worry, Eva gets to bathe in this chapter.

**MollyXAikka 4EVA!!!: **I'm really glad you like it so much. I pleases me when people like my writing. Hopefully my next update won't take as long as this one did.

**APurpleAvacado:** No, I wasn't referring to the Umbatah. They're blue and short, but not made of jello. Too late, the race is already over. But don't worry, I have plenty of evil things planned for Aikka. –evil grin- You just have to wait a few chapters before the real action starts up. I can't say much more than that, seeing as it's still in the planning, and a major spoiler. Nasyue also gets a bit of a spot light, but again, not for a couple of chapters. First we'll have to capture a Phil. Up for a game of chase?

**Sekai Nerah: **-sweat drop- Sadly, long sentences are the one thing I love about my own writing. I like to see just how long I can stretch a simple sentence out. In future chapters I'll try to restrain that though, just for you:D Eva actually finding out that Jordan likes her is something I'm still toying with. It all depends in whether I actually end up writing a sequel to this fic. I know Jordan won't want to mess with Aikka and Eva's relationship, but if something were to happen to serve that relationship, he might take his chances and tell her. It all depends.

**A13Van:** Neither can I! I can't wait until it's over! Because then I can move on to writing other random things, like what happened to Jordan and Aikka during the Crog war.

**shinpachi-is-the-best: **I'm glad you like it. Don't worry about it. Just a review every so often makes me very happy.

**ThePenguinCOMMANDER:** Hey! Don't worry about it. :D I've got Fushica here to keep me company. –poke her- Still, I'm really happy you love it so much. Your love inspires me to keep going!

**IchikoKitcuneKoumori:** Yay for the wall of gelatin! Thank you so much for suggesting a talk with Spirit! I actually put it in!

**StrugglingArtist:** Perhaps you'd like to join **APurpleAvacado **and myself if hunting one down so we can fry it and cover it in jam and various toppings?

**-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-: **I'm glad you liked the race. I needed some action after so much random romance.

**Ina: **Don't worry, you speak just fine! I'm glad you like my fic!

**Spellcaster Hikaru:** Don't worry, Look how long it took me to update. You're fine. Still can't thank you enough for suggesting bringing Spirit in in the first place. It was such a good idea! And I love your continuous input. Keep it coming, please! –goes all sparkly-

**SekhmetDaCat:** Thanks. I'm actually pleased with the racing scene. It was originally a lot duller, but when I was writing the final draft I was all 'What the cheesecake?!' and I wrote away.

**iluvaikka:** Sorry. –shame- I've been busy, busy, busy, as you read above. Still, thanks for reminding me to get my tail in gear.

**RedMageSalyre:** :D Thanks for the review. So Jello is trying to take over the world as well? Is it working with the Crogs?! No, she actually didn't. But I don't blame Savin, he only had so much screen time to fit things in after all.

Hmm… I no longer wonder why I stopped replying to every review I received. Oh well, it was fun!

**Chapter Fifteen: Exploring the Corners**

Though not high in the horizon yet, the Nourasian sun shimmered down on the world below, in a position those native to Nourasia would identify as just before mid-day. Rays of heat sparkled and danced along the yellow glass of the _Reflectio_n's cockpit as it scrolled back. Spirit, who had passed the finish line moments after the star-racer, stared up at her, his mask-like face showing no emotion. As Eva easily leapt from the cockpit to the ground below she couldn't help but wonder what was going on behind that mask. There was barrier between them, that was sure, but just how much of a barrier? Did he still hate her for her own actions of hatred back on Alwas, three years ago? Had he ever hated her? Did he even remember that race, and if so, would he recognize her?

Surely, from the way he approached her, flying down to his humanoid form, both of them now at ground level. He had recognized her, the daughter of Maya Wei, to be the racer Molly on Alwas. He must recognize her, as the previous years had not changed her enormously.

Yes, as the mask tilted downward, almost as if to look at her, she knew he remembered her.

She wanted to reach out, to say she was sorry, and to thank him for telling her the truth of Maya's death. Looking up at him, she wanted to speak, but couldn't find the words. She felt like a child again, or the callow girl from the Oban race. She was so small in his presence: an inexperienced girl too young to be a woman, looking up at a great being of dark and elegant beauty and wisdom. She wished that she, like the Phils, could telepathically send her feeling of thanks, and thrown down the wall between them.

Though hr showed no sign of knowing so, Spirit seemed to understand what she was feeling. He reached down with those long arms of his and patted her affectionately on the head. For a second, just a second, she swore that face of no emotion changed. That it was only the blink of an eyelash, it was there.

He smiled.

His simple gesture seemed to wash away all feelings of discomfort between them. Like a great dam had suddenly broken, and a tidal wave of emotions washed out. And that steady little river, all that was left, was the river of friendship. Eva blinked, uncaring that tears had begun to pool. She allowed herself a little sniffle, and then threw herself at Spirit in a tackling hug. The Phil did not budge, surprised; the little woman didn't even measure up to his collar bone. After a long moment, she let go, and he patted her head again. She flashed him a grin and a thumbs up before returning to her star-racer. He transformed back into his flying mode, and flutter off down the track, back to the hanger. As Eva flew back to her own slot in the Nourasian Special Event Hanger she knew one thing: whether she and Spirit raced in the next tournament, or whether she never saw him again, a bond of friendship had been formed, one that could never be broken.

* * *

Eva frowned as she slumped down on her bed. She needed a shower, yet no bathing facilities of any sort could be found! When Aikka and G'dar had arrived back at the hanger after the race, Aikka had asked if Jordan and herself would like an aerial tour of the city later that day. The exited Earthen pilot had of course quickly agreed for both of them, and a meeting time had been arranged. Though Eva knew Aikka and Jordan would meet her at her room sometime around mid-afternoon, she wasn't sure when mid-afternoon was, and therefore could only assume than she had maybe another Earthen hour. The previous hour, or all her time since she had returned to the palace, she had spent searching out some sort of bathing facility. It wasn't her fault either! Eva prided herself for her excellent sense of direction, and her ability to discover things normally over looked: No matter where she went she could always find her way back. But this palace was a freaking maze! She had came down one hallway that had suddenly split off in five different directions, and climbed up three flights of stairs (in what she believed to be the center of the palace) that lead her to the top of a lone tower in an unbelievably random position(The view had been gorgeous, but it wasn't what Eva was looking for.)! It hadn't been a complete waste of time though. She had found the vast kitchens, discovered two different libraries, and walked past Aikka's room so many times she had to get amnesia before she'd forget its exact location, and what hallways lead to it from four different directions. 

Finally Eva had given up and returned to her room. She glared at the mirror hanging on the wall, looking so smug. The pilot had no doubt a servant on the other side of that mirror would know exactly where Eva could take a shower or a bath, but being the highly independent girl she was, she had ventured out in search of it herself. Eva simply despised asking for help. This part of her personality greatly irked the rest of the Earth Team(Don and Jordan in particular). When she had a problem, they wanted to help her figure it out, but she was a stubborn girl, and resistant to change. With a sigh, she walked over to the mirror (still being careful to avoid the nicer tiling) and tapped a short nail on the glass.

"Mirror, Mirror, on the wall. Where can I find the bathing hall?" When the mirror failed to respond Eva sighed and ran her finger along the elaborate curl bordering it. Her face once again melted away, only this time it was replaced by a grouchy looking Nourasian man. The directions he gave her made her want to tear her hair out, or at least break the mirror. Nevertheless, she doubted that her father or Aikka would be pleased with her destructive behavior, so she resisted.

* * *

The Nourasian baths were… different, for Eva lacked a better way to describe them. They reminded her a little of the baths used by some ancient civilization that had to be a couple millenniums old. It was the Graks, or the Greens, or something like that. Anyways, the Nourasian baths were designed in a series of three separate rooms. The first was dry, with little or no humidity and rather crowded with compartments on the walls, and changing stalls. From watching Nourasian women as they gossiped and moved about, Eva learned she was suppose to change into one of the provided robes, and slip on a pair of sandals made from some sort of plant fiber. The robe was thin and light, just a little _too_ thin. Eva was glad this room was for women only. 

As she entered the second room the Earthen was hit with a wave of heat. She immediately began to sweat, and the cloth of the robe stuck to her body, serving only to increase her discomfort. The floor and walls were heated, which explained the need for the sandals. All around the room Nourasians were gathered in groups of twos and threes, lathering themselves with soaps and oils. It was then that Eva was struck by a thought. Her strawberry scented shampoo, the one she normally used everyday, was sitting in her shower back on Earth where she had last used it. Eva mentally ran through a string of curses, and stomped her foot in annoyance. With a sigh she headed for the next room; even if she couldn't wash her hair, she would at least rinse it. Later she would have to go back to the market and buy some with the remaining of the money Aikka had given her.

The third and final room was mostly a giant pool. Huge seemed to demean it; it was even bigger than most of the pools at the colleges she was looking at. Eva cautiously slipped into the water. Though it was obviously heated, and rather warm, it didn't scald Eva, and soon she was rather comfortable. She dunked her head under, and rubbed her fingers through her hair, hoping to be rid of some of the grease. She was about to move for her feet and legs when two women swam up. The older one spoke first. Her hair was a deep brown, and floated about her in giant ringlets.

Her common was slow and clumsy, but still understandable. "Be you Eva Wei, pilot of Earth?" Eva nodded slowly, unsure as to just what these women wanted from her.

"Is it true that you danced with his highness, Prince Aikka?" The younger of the two blurted out. She seemed to have a much better hold on her common. In Earth years, she was probably in her late teens, with wet straw blond hair that plastered itself to her head in chunks, and ears sticking out from the side of her head like wings of an airplane.

_Oh God. _Eva though in horror. _I didn't know Aikka had fan girls on Nourasia too! _

The older girl, probably in her early twenties, gave the younger one a glare, and then prompted Eva further. They wanted to know what he had worn, how he danced, even what he smelled like. It turned out that while they were both servants in the palace, they had both been held from spying on the Prince by their duties, and were both madly in love (Eva bet it was more of an obsession, really) with him. The more Eva could tell them, the more they swooned. Finally, toward the end of the conversation, the Nourasians wanted to know why the Prince had chosen Eva, an Earth girl, to dance with him. Of course, then Eva was bullied into telling how she had first met him. Did it never end?

Seemingly pleased with the information, (and unaware Eva had tweaked it severely) the two turned to leave when the dark haired woman noticed something, or rather, a lack of something. "Have you no oils with which to wash?"

Eva understood immediately, and explained her situation. Taking pity on her, the blond girl brought over their own soaps, four in total, two each. She asked Eva to pick one of her liking; she could have it in exchange for the information she had given them. Accepting the offer, Eva inspected the little bottles one by one, taking off the cork to smell their contents. The first one was pale purple in color, and smelt like a sort of lavender thyme mix. The second one was smaller than the others, with a painting of a strange melon on the front. It as shaped like a peanut, was dark green in color with stripes like a watermelon, only pale pink. It smelt like ripe cantaloupe, as Eva had expected. The third was plain, white in color with no fragrance, and the last one, oddly enough, smelt like fresh doughnuts. Eva selected the melon smelling one.

"You choose well." The young woman commented. "That soap is made of Frengrar, Prince Aikka's favorite fruit. There are many orchards of them surrounding the palace."

Eva blinked. She had subconsciously chosen Aikka's favorite? Perhaps the Gods were trying to tell her something? Eva shrugged it off before thanking the women and finally scrubbing herself down. It was good to be clean.

* * *

The late summer sun leaked through the sky lights lining the wall, and onto the man's short, double-colored hair. He was wearing loose black pants that tucked neatly into a pair of black military boots. His t-shirt was loose in a similar manner, with green coloring, and a big blue circle on the front. Around his wrist were two bracelets, both thick and black, and he wore his famous dog tags around his neck. He was thinking, just thinking, about Eva, about how he felt for her, and about how obvious it was that the Prince and she cared for each other 

Speaking of Prince Charming, he was standing by the wall opposite to Jordan. His clothes looked a bit more summery than the outfit he had worn on Earth. This one was rather similar to his dress (A/N: Aikka wore a dress?!) on Oban, minus the armor, socks, and with different arm adornment. He looked a bit worried. He was probably wondering just where his Eva was.

Jordan and Aikka had arrived at Eva's room at the proposed time, and had knocked politely on her door. When the door yielded no answer, they knocked again. After the third try, both young men gave into their curiosity and peeked in the room which was unlocked for some reason. They were greeted by an empty room, and no Eva in sight. With no better idea, they both settled down to wait.

"Jordan," Aikka began interrupting the army man's thoughts after a good wait of maybe thirty Earth minutes. "Do you believe it would be best if we began to search for Eva?"

Jordan quickly shook his head in a no. "Naw, I wouldn't be too worried Princey. Eva has the tendency to wander off for hours upon end. She'll show up when you least expect it, not even realizing how long she was gone." This brought a smile to Aikka's face for a few moments before it was washed away with a sudden look of angst.

"I wish I knew her as well as you, Jordan." His eyes were downcast, focusing on the stone floor.

When it came to Eva, it seemed he could never beat the Prince. Aikka had even managed to steal the title of 'partner' from him. All this said, his comment made Jordan's rather bushy brows to raise quite a bit. "Really?" Could he have finally bested the Nourasian?

"But of course. You were her real partner during the Race of Oban. Though I was her friend, the Crogs caused me to betray you more than any real friend should. Even if we are… together, what time we spend with another is short, too short to learn everything I wish to." Taken back, Jordan stared a bit before replying. He had never thought of it that way, but it made sense.

"So then visit her more! I'm sure Eva would love to have you. Heck, if Don doesn't want you staying under the same roof as his daughter, you can crash at my place." It was Aikka's turn to stare.

"Do you really feel that way?"

"Why not? I practically spent the whole Crog War with you; You're as much of my friend as Eva's." He finished with a grin. His bright smile was soon mirrored on the Prince's face. Though he had never been one for pubic displays of emotion, (Eva excluded, of course) he was tempted to reach out and hug the ex-gunner, a temptation he decided last moment to resist.

* * *

When Eva finally returned to her room she was greeted by the waiting men. She quickly apologized and unceremoniously dumped her belongings in her room before following them to the hanger. Jordan just brushed the whole affair aside as if it was no big deal. 

"…In fact I'm glad you finally took a shower. You were starting to stink." He waved a hand in front of his nose, as if fanning the smell away. Eva let out a deep growl and tackled him. After a brief scuffle Jordan declared himself winner, restraining Eva's hands behind her back. The wild girl hadn't given up yet, and slammed the heel of her hiking boot down on Jordan's toe. Another scuffle followed, until the two finally abandoned their fight to chase after Aikka who, after pausing to watch them with fascination for a brief moment, had left to prepare G'dar (A/N: for the cooking pot!) while rolling his eyes.

They were all sitting securely on the beetle when he took off. Eva was sitting on the very front of the saddle, with Aikka directly behind her, his lower back firmly pushed against the back of the saddle, his left hand gripping tightly on the saddle horn, and his right occasionally leaving Eva's waist to point out something interesting. Jordan sat directly behind them, one hand gripped on the saddle rings, and the other on the Prince's shoulder to steady himself. G'dar's blue shell was open, and his transparent wings beating through the air. The glittered as the swept about, propelling the beetle into the blue sky. Aikka guided him into spiraling circles, and soon they were high above the city.

Eva's eyes seemed to sparkle as she glanced at the world below. People had been reduced to the size of small dots, yet they still weren't level with the very top of the palace. Now as she estimated it, the tallest tower that sprouted from the palace compound had to be at least thirty stories tall. She hadn't realized just how big it really was. It was amazingly complex in design, with hundreds of rooms, towers, balconies, open courtyards, and pools, and smothered in ivy vines, with window sills covered in potted plants. The building was surrounded by rich exotic gardens, and then "perimetered" by a low white wall. Outside this wall were rich homes, and more public areas. Eva identified a bath house, the market place where she had bough her dress, and even what looked to be schools. To the northeast, Eva could see the racing track, and the hanger reserved for special events. This meant that Eva always walked through the East gate to get back into the palace.

After the wealthier houses, there were poorer houses, then farms, and then fields and forest. In the northwest if the city, Eva could see orchards of strange trees that eventually gave way to thick forest, and then melted into the blue snowcapped mountains. She followed a rivers path as it lazily wound its way down from the mountains, through the heart of the city, and continue south. Also in the south, were an army of what looked to be windmills. Though large and bulky, like the ones Eva's textbooks said were from Holland, they stood proudly, with an air that Eva immediately identified as Nourasian. When asked their use, Aikka explained that they were used for grinding maize and other grains, as well as pumping water and waste to or past the city where it could be used or processed. He then pointed out a few water wheels along the river that had a similar purpose.

Though Jordan had looked at maps of the Nourasian capital many times, nothing compared to seeing it from the sky, with the wind grabbing for you. He had only been on a giant beetle twice before, so the experience was still fairly new to him. You would think that having been on Nourasian for nearly a year would have yielded a chance to allow him to ride the strange beasts more often, but this was not the case. During the Crog War, the beetles had been used strictly for transporting supplies or the wounded. Jordan had only been on one once, and he had been unconscious at the time. It wasn't exactly a memorable experience.

* * *

When they finally arrived back at the hanger, the sun was setting, allowing Nourasia to cool for the night. Though a little of the day's heat still hung in the air, it was rapidly disappearing, like mist in a steamy room after a door has been opened. Before Eva could comment of the gorgeous sunset, Aikka was apologizing. It seemed he hadn't realized the time, and he was sorry they had missed dinner. Every night, the guests' dinner was served in one of the banquet halls, while being Prince, Aikka's food was brought directly to his room. While the Nourasian's dinner would still be waiting for him, both Jordan and Eva would be left without food. Still, they quickly turned down his offer to share. 

"Don't worry about it, Pretty Boy." Jordan gave him one of his no-problem grins. "Eva and I are tough enough to go without dinner for a night." It was very convincing, and Aikka would have believed it to, had Eva's gurgling stomach not given them away. "Man, It's times like these I wish Urlda was here!" Jordan complained loudly. "How is she doing anyway, Aikka?"

"Urlda? She's the head cook in the palace kitchens." Aikka replied.

"Wow! That's quite the promotion."

"She is deserving." Eva followed their conversation with a bit of confusion; they must have been talking about someone they both met in the Crog War.

"If she works in the kitchens do you think she'd give us something to eat?" They both stared at the pilot for a moment before nodding their heads: it was an excellent idea. Eva, who remembered the way to the kitchens from her adventure earlier in the day lead the way as she waved to Aikka.

Jordan ducked as a wooden spoon hit the wall centimeters from his nose as he peeked into the kitchen.

"If you're lookin' for food, You aint gettin' none here!" Hollered a deep female voice.

"Now is that any way to treat an old friend?" Jordan entered the kitchen with a smile, though he still held both hands up in front of him to signify he came in peace.

The kitchens were huge! Eva had only been able to peek before, and hadn't gotten a full view. In the center were two crescent shaped counter tops, with pots and pans hanging from low rafters above. Large old fashion ovens made of rock and stone were inserted in the walls, surrounded by shelves of many spices and non-perishables. There were also two ladders that lead to the ceiling were Eva suspected there to be storerooms. Delectable smells floated about on the air. The freshest of these was the smell of bread baking in the oven; Eva's stomach grumbled again.

Standing in the center of the kitchen was the woman Eva assumed to be Urlda. She was a huge woman, with a large girth, and breasts and buttocks of even larger size. Her outfit was simple: mostly white with brown edging and sleeves rolled back to her elbows. Her hands were covered with flower, and bits of food flecked her apron. Though Eva imagined her hair had once been pure silky ebony, it was now streaked with silver. To keep it out of her face, it was pulled back in a half moon of miniature buns at the back of her head. Her long ears had too been pulled out of the way, and secured with a loose tie behind her back. Though a dull grey, her grey eyes were alive with personality, and they widened when she saw Jordan.

"Now here's a face I haven't seen in some time! Sit down!" A great smile showed on her features, and she set out two stools for the partners to sit at. Her common was nearly as fluent of Aikka's, though she had a bit of slang here and there. She handed them both a sort of flat roll, and stood making more from behind the counter across from them. The bread was filled with a buttery vegetable paste, like pesto in a hot roll. It was very good.

Eva listened to Jordan and Urlda's conversation as she munched away. It seemed the woman had been the cook for the two platoons (A/N: I'm not sure if that's right. I was never very knowledgeable when it came to the military.) that protected the children of the royal family, the same platoon as Jordan. It also seemed Urlda had become fast friends with the two boys, and had given them plenty of much needed advice. Though they reminisced about the war for a short time, their conversation soon turned to their company: Eva.

"So you're the famous Miss Eva Wei, eh? I've heard a lot about you from both Jordan and Aikka. One of my sons saw your race yesterday. He says you're a very talented girl."

"Thanks, it runs in the family."

The woman snorted. "Our Prince says the very same thing. His uncle taught him to ride, and he accredits all his greatness to that."

"If Aikka learned from him, he must be amazing." Eva's eyes seemed to glitter with excitement.

"That's what they say. I wouldn't know. He died a couple of years back, before I moved to the capital." Urlda replied in a conversational manner, not even bothering to look up from the paste she was spooning into a pocket of bread.

"Oh." Eva looked rather disappointed. She had no doubt that Aikka's uncle would have been an even match for her Mom. It would have been amazing to watch him race, or see what pointers he could give her. It was a shame she would never be able to meet him.

"I bet Aikka would tell you stories if you asked." Jordan suggested, trying to cheer her up.

"Does he really fancy you like some of the servants gossip?" The great woman seemed to lean across the counter, like a child gossiping with another.

"Well…" Eva paused, unsure what to say.

A smirk slowly soaked into Urlda's pudgy features. "Has he told you?"

"Yes." And for the second time that day, Eva was forced to tell how she had met Aikka, and what had happened after Oban. This time, she did her best to keep any superfluous information out, it was short and to the point. They met on Alwas, became friends after a rocky ride, and ended up becoming more than friends. She was uncomfortable talking about her love life to a stranger, especially considering she didn't know if she loved Aikka or not. Sure, she _loved_ his laugh and his company, and she enjoyed his touch and his soft words on her ears, but… she wasn't sure if it was love. Love had always been a word reserved for her parents, her family. It had never criss-crossed outside that boundary before. Like anyone, Eva needed more time. Much more time than she would ever be given.

"I see." Urlda had paused her cooking to stroke her chin thoughtfully as she watched Eva scarf down the second roll that had been given to her. "What will you do after the race ends and you must return to Earth, eh girl?"

Eva paused, the last bite of bread half way to her mouth. She hadn't given it much thought, really. What would happen to her relationship with Aikka once they were separated again? Would he wait another three years to come visit her? Would their feelings dim over time? It was truly an arduous question.

"If you do end up marring the Prince, you must realize the responsibilities you'll hold. Prince Aikka is second in line for the throne; he will need to stay close to the palace at all times to guide his younger sister. As his bride, I doubt you would be able to return to your Earth family often."

Eva nearly choked on the bread she had finally succeeded in getting into her mouth. Aikka's bride? _Her?_ Sure, she liked him, and they had shared a few moments that guessed could be considered love, but to _marry_ him? She had her whole life ahead of her. She couldn't just leave her father after they had only been together for three years. And who would play with her little niece, Blume, or make sure Stan and Koji got to bed at a proper time? Or…?? It was too vast a subject to swallow.

Though the discussion carried on after Urlda's last comment, Eva wasn't quite there. She let Jordan do most of the talking, and waved goodbye after Urlda warned her to think more carefully about the ramifications of her actions. She parted ways with Jordan and continued to her own room in silence. When she opened the door Don was waiting. He was furious. She had been gone most of the day, and hadn't even left a note! She was nearly an adult, she should be more responsible. Eva had grown quite a bit in the last three years, and had gained plenty of maturity. Unfortunately, she was tired, her mind was occupied, and she just wasn't thinking straight. She ended up snapping at him and triggering an argument. Slamming the door after forcing her father out of the room, Eva locked it and collapsed on her bed, not even bothering to get undressed. Her mind was troubled; there would be little sleep for her tonight.

A/N: A bit of a plot twist there. I put many of my own words into Urlda's mouth, though my argument stretches mush longer than hers. I want to know what you guys think about this development. Yay or Nay?


	16. Smoothing out the Edges

**Bonds**

Disclaimer: If I were really the great Savin, then I would be off hiding in a corner, concerned that fans are watching me. The fans are always watching. O.O

Author's Note: First off I want to apologize to not getting to review everyone's stories sooner. My spring break started, and my Mum dragged me off to Montana for a week. I was stuck in a condo with no internet for an entire week! It was terrible. Still, I finished a lot of art, and was successfully able to get my little sister addicted to ToS. Yay!

**A13Van: **I'll try to manage keeping them together, but I refuse to make any promises. My muse twists and turns like a snake, her ideas are never the same.

**Fushica: **Seriously, I'm hungry. Mab wants food. –starts chewing on your arm- Do it:D When I finally get to checking my DA page, I expect to see that waiting for me under my New Deviantions.

**-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-: **I never really pictured Eva as someone interested in marriage either. I always pinned her as more of a free spirit, going where the wind takes her. As for Aikka's thoughts, that's something I need to sit down and figure out. I know where his feelings are heading, but as for their current stance, I really have no idea. ; I'm glad you liked it. I was actually pleased with how it came out, which surprises me; I normally despise most of my own work.

**RedMageSalyre: **Don't worry, Nasyue makes a big appearance in this chapter, along with a little more about the Terrartites. Eh, it's not the City of Dol, it's the capital. I haven't decided on a name yet, but it's definitely not Dol. Dol will make an appearance in the sequel I may, or may not write. I'm glad you like my description though. I like describing things. :)

**IchikoKitsuneKoumori:** Yuppers, lots and lots of stuff to think about for Eva. Her mind won't be at peace for some time.

**Sekai Nerah**: Don't Worry about it. Do you know how many fics I have on my Story Alert List? Many times I have to go back and skim over the previous chapter. Seeing your mistakes makes you want to stop writing, ne? But keep preserving, if we both keep writing, were bound to stop making the same mistakes. That scene… I was tempted to take it out all together, but it introduced Frengrar, and that's what I needed. Heh, Thanks. I appreciate the support.

**Virtual Dragon of Oban**: Don't worry Kyyra-Kyyra! This chappie is the Terraties stoplight! Nasyue and Adnarim become _very_ important later on, so don't you worry a bit.

**APurpleAvacado:** I try, I try. –hides in a corner- But I'm glad you liked it. You get that too? Every time I even think about the possibility of a new chapter in my favorite fictions, or my DvDs coming in the mail, I get a sort of adrenaline rush, much like the butterflies in the stomach feeling. Lolz, it would be great if she did. I'd enjoy watching her suffer, were it not for the fact that I have plenty of suffering planned for her further on. I wanted him to notice her smell too, but it the part just didn't seem to fit. As for Spirit, that concludes his role in this particular story. Anymore would just be, I don't know, pushing it probably. :D Now that I'm so close to the climax, I can't stop!

**DramaQueen of the Moon:** I'm glad you liked it. Really? I know a lot of people on DA, I'll have to go wander over to her page.

**StrugglingArtist:** I actually did not. I shall refrain from A/Ning too much in the future. As for Chapter Fifteen being a filler… How did you know? It felt like a filler to me as well, probably why I hated it so much. . I suppose I needed some calm before the action really starts, which will be very soon. I really appreciate your comments, keep 'em coming!

**ThePenguinCOMMANDER:** Yay! I vote yay too! So what aspect are we yaying to? More AikkaEva, or more of them being ripped apart by hatred and distrust? I'm glad you liked that part, I did too.

**IsabellaoftheNight: **Really? I didn't like Chapter Fifteen that much. Still, Thanks for the review, they make me happy!

**SekhmetDatCat:** Yay for profoundness! It's fun to write profound things. Fangirls . They scare me… Which is pretty funny, considering I am one.

**Aishi-Cc: **He also does Von's voice on Escaflowne. I see. I learned much of my Japanese from watching subtitled anime, so it's pretty rough. Thank you so much for the information though, it clears things up for me. Yay, I started looking up fics around the airing of the beginning of the Oban cycle. Unfortunately, there weren't many at the time, and it prompted me to write my own. More detail? What sort of detail? I have like a butt-load of description, and scenes I sometimes don't believe are necessary. Would you like me to add more explanation between events, like eating breakfast, ect? Over one hundred fics? That's a lot! I try to update, but you know how it is.

**Crystal Star Dragon:** Yay! I'm glad you like! Yah, Schools blocks can be a pain. Mine won't even let me get onto RadioBlog. Here's your update!

**land of lost socks**: It makes me happy so many people like my story. I'm obsessed with Oban too! It's probably my favorite anime. Btw, I love your username: it's great.

**Chapter Sixteen: Smoothing out the Edges**

Bevele smiled brightly as she looked at the vast valley below her, bursting with the life of the city. It had been her idea to take Jordan, Eva, and their teammates on a hike to see the Frengrar groves, and she was surprised at just how well they responded. At first she had been wary they would turn her down: Eva seemed to be in a bad mood that morning, and even with the efforts of both Jordan and Aikka, she didn't want to budge. In the end, however, they were successful, and after getting Don's approval, all six of them, two Nourasian and four human, headed out.

The hike, though a bit steep in grade, had been beautiful. Even Jordan, who had spent a good year or so here on Nourasia, discovered a few plants he had never seen before. The cloud of grey that hung over Eva seemed to evaporate, and soon she was smiling with the rest of them. Most of all, Bevele was pleased by the reactions of Stan and Koji. Stan was happy to be out in the fresh air, while Koji was admiring the setting.

A day previous, the Nourasian girl had come to the hanger in the search of Aikka and/or Eva. With neither to be found, she ended up chatting with the two mechanics. Surprisingly, they had hit it off. Koji was interested in Nourasian tongue, and taught her a little English in return. She also had a wonderful conversation with Stan on ethics and morals. Now Bevele was determined to show off for her new friends. A wise Nourasian had once said something to the extent of "the bird who displays its wings is the first to be shot by the arrow", but bringing them to the Frengrar groves wasn't really showing off, right?

To Koji, the groves of Frengrar could be best described as a mass of bonsai on super potent Miracle Grow. Only they weren't just the size of normal trees, their trunks were wider than those of the Redwood. The four-eyed mechanic imagined that most of the main branches could easily be large enough for the Prince's mount to land on. The bark was rough to the touch, and star shaped leaves of vibrant green easily two meters across (around six and a half feet) hung from the branches. The one thing that stood out most, besides the size, were the fruits growing from the tree. About the size of a watermelon, they were peanut-like in shape, and a medium green with pale pink stripes.

While Koji was busy admiring the trees, Bevele was quickly climbing up the nearest one. Even though the branches weren't low, and the young Nourasian should have been hampered by her dress and her bare feet, she scaled the bark with relative ease. After selecting a Frengrar, she tossed it down to Aikka. She threw down a second (which Stan easily caught) before scrambling down herself. Sitting in the grass fluttering in the slight wind, the six arranged themselves in a circle. Aikka set the first melon in front of him, and with his dagger in hand, began a short explanation.

"Frengrar have an extremely tough rind, and therefore can not be easily cut with an ordinary Nourasian knife." He demonstrated by attempting to push the sharp edge of the blade into the fruit. After a bit of struggle, only a shallow cut had been made. "This is why most Nourasians enchant their blades to cut the fruit. Some, such as myself, can do this by channeling our own life energy into the blade to make cutting easier. We are called _Phon Umnai_. This method of sending energy through a blade makes the blade much like those of the Crog Tridents. However, only about one third of all Nourasians are gifted with the ability to manipulate their life energy, and few, if any, humans can at all." He paused to let it soak it. "Because of this, blades such as the one I am holding are created. They automatically sap the required energy from the user: Just as if they user was actually a _Phon Umnai_."

"Is that how the mirror in my room works?" Eva asked.

"Yes," Aikka replied with a smile, glad that at least one person was getting it. "Only much simpler. With most energy objects one must speak a few trigger words to get it to work. Trigger words are also used by _Phon Umnai _in complex tasks."

"I don't know. That sounds a bit far fetched to me." Stan said, frowning.

"Plus, if you were using your life energy, wouldn't you eventually end up killing yourself?" Koji pointed out.

Aikka was about to protest when Bevele cut him off, this was her area of expertise.

"Most believe that a being has two parts: the spiritual, and the material. The material is the body. It is made of flesh and organs. Spiritual is the energy within the body, and without it, the body would be like a maize husk. Every living thing has energy within it, and when it dies, that energy returns to the earth." A smile snuck onto the girl's lips to display itself proudly; she was pleased with her knowledge.

Koji nodded slowly. Though she hadn't answered his question, she made him realize just how similar the Nourasians and humans were in their ideas. "So this energy works like a battery? It allows the material body to function?" He added the last part as an after thought, seeing the blank expressions at the word 'battery'.

"Correct!"

"If you keep using that energy wouldn't it eventually run out?" Koji reiterated his point, this time using Nourasian terms.

"It is possible, but it does not happen often." Aikka stole the ball from Bevele's court. "Every time you eat something that was once living, part of its energy is transferred to your body. In most cases, this excess energy just flows off your body and is distributed back into the earth to be used in the creation of other living things. However, _Phon Umnai_ have found a way to harness this energy and use it for alternative purposes. Sometimes a _Phon Umnai_ will use all of their excess energy, and end up pulling from their own life force. If they consume too much, that person can end up dying."

"Then how do you know when you're digging into your life force?" Jordan asked with a look of the slightest interest.

"It's a feeling: a pang of pain on your gut." Aikka explained, putting a hand to his abdomen. Then he added with a brighter note, "Would any one be so courageous as to give it a try?"

Eva immediately jumped at the opportunity. With the Frengrar sitting up right in her lap, Aikka handed her his dagger, and instructed her how to hold it. She breathed deeply, like he had told her, concentrating. She then uttered the trigger words. The blade hummed as if electricity ran through it and maybe ten or twenty Earth seconds later, it began to glow a pale pink, almost white.

"Good, now cut along the neck of the melon like you would with a regular knife." Aikka instructed. Eva nodded, not looking up, and pressed the dagger into the side of the Frengrar. It cut like soft butter, and in no time, Eva was half way through. Then, Aikka put his hand on hers to act as a guide, and something unexpected happened.

The melon went boom.

It literally blasted into a thousand juicy pieces and flew in every direction, splattering across the couple and their companions. The fruit of the Frengrar was a fleshy pink. Stan picked a piece off his arm and stuck it in his mouth. It had the consistency of a mango, the juiciness of a ripe pear, and a taste like diluted honey and apples. Stan nodded. It was pretty good, if he did say so himself.

Eva turned to Aikka with a look of sour confusion. "I have a feeling it wasn't supposed to do that."

One look at Eva's expression extracted a laugh from the Nourasian prince. He had a handsome laugh, with deep joy etched in it. Eva tried hard not to smile, she really did. But with her Prince covered in bits of fruit laughing away, she couldn't help herself; her grin was soon as wide as the Prince's open mouth. Pulling a piece off Aikka's face, she plopped it in her mouth. Unawares, she agreed with Stan. It was pretty good.

It seemed that when Aikka had placed his hand on hers the dagger had automatically begun siphoning his energy as well. This resulted in too much energy flowing through the knife, and with no where else to go, it had gone out through the melon at such a rate that caused the melon to explode.

"I guess you're really just a good conductor, Eva." Koji teased. Eva gave him a friendly punch in the shoulder in reply.

The second Frengrar was cut (by Aikka this time) and half-moon pieces were handed out to everyone. Later Bevele showed the four humans how to tell if a Frengrar was ripe. They spent the remainder of the afternoon loafing beneath the great trees, and Aikka and Jordan gave Eva another self-defense lesson. It seemed she hadn't had one since they arrived on Nourasia.

* * *

All around, the crowd hummed with anticipation, and above, the sky was almost a pure blue, dotted with the occasional stratus cloud. The racer and her prince had been unable to make it to today's race due to some new training exercise created by Don and Canaan. The racing manager and the fencing master were a little _too _similar, or at least that's was Aikka and Eva could be heard mumbling occasionally. To make up for their absence, the two mechanics had been sent to film it for them, since both Eva and Aikka wanted to watch the race so they could learn more about their to-be adversaries. Stan held a camera smaller than his palm that was attached to a cord leading to Koji's laptop. At the moment, they were fiddling with the zoom. Bevele sat directly to their left, watching them with fascination. It was one thing to read about Earth's technology, but another to see it in action. Jordan sat directly to her left, surveying the crowd. Today was their fourth day on Nourasia, and the race of the Umbatah and the Terratites versus two other alien groups (whose names had slipped from the ex-gunner's memories for the time being). It would be his first time seeing his old war buddy, Adnarim, race. He had to be good to have gotten this far, but just how good was the Terratite? 

There was a large crowd, and the stands were packed. As Jordan was looking about the mass of heads, he noticed a lone standing figure, looking rather lost. Jordan knew her immediately: Terratites had never been a creature to blend into crowds. Jordan would bet his gun license that she had been busy helping her brother prepare for the race, and as a result, wasn't early enough to find a seat. Having been in that position before himself, Jordan knew exactly how she was probably feeling. This is most likely why he did what he did.

"Hey! Over here!" He waved and shouted. Since he couldn't remember her name, 'hey' seemed like the best alternative. Surprise betrayed her features for a moment before she moved over to the small party. She sat between Bevele and Jordan, and was quickly introduced to the curious mechanics, and the Nourasian. Jordan was secretly thankful, as he was able to be reminded of her name, Nasyue.

Soon, the party's attention turned back to the racers. Before now, Adnarim had been standing without a star-racer on the rack. Gasps erupted from the crowd. A thick yellow cloud gathered around his body. It formed so densely, that he was able to stand on it like a platform. Though Jordan had never gotten just how, he had learned that most Terratites were able to create a dense gas that they could ride. On their home planet, Terratitonicia, this was used for transportation, ladders, and many sporting events. Adnarim often talked about how many men bragged about how big or flexible their clouds were; clouds could be considered the equivalent of wealth or strength on Earth.

There as nothing to special about Adnarim's partner: just the average Umbatah ship with an oval cockpit, and a long prong-like nose. Their adversaries, however, were quite unique. The first racer was an odd ship made of many round pieces of metal glued together, with a green and grey color scheme. It emitted a sickly exhaust that Jordan was sure couldn't be good for the environment. (Not that the ex-soldier was particularly green, he just noticed it.) The final racer made the hair on the back of Jordan's neck stand on end. It was a long snake-like creature with a head like one of those furless cats. It looked as if its ears had originally been made of clay, and some entity had pinched down on the ends and then stretched them out until they were several meters long. Trailing from each side of its mouth were two long wires that looked like a cross between a catfish's whiskers, and some French guy's mustache. It had one appendage sticking randomly from its side with a reptilian hand, and long claws. The whole thing was mostly grays and whites, and floated unnaturally several meters above the air. Jordan gave it once last look before turning back to the other racers. This was going to be one hell of a show.

The race started out simple enough, with Adnarim and the bubble alien taking the lead. This could be attributed to the Terratite's agility and flexibility. He could easily shrink his cloud to small sizes, and fit through gaps in roots and branches others could not, giving him a straighter route. The other star-racer wasn't benefiting from agility or anything of the sort. In fact, it was such an awkward size it could barely fit through the narrower parts of the track. This sucker was just fast. As they came to the first plant blockage, the alien racer plowed in, flowed closely by Adnarim, the Umbatah, and the snake being. As the crowd watched the ending of this terrain closely, Adnarim and the floating snake exited, with the Umbatah moments behind them.

Dense sticky plumes billowed up from the race track. Their source: the circle-glue ship. Parts of it had caught a blaze. It hovered in the clear track unsteadily for a moment, as if deciding whether to fall or not. It made its decision, and crashed into the ground with a great explosion. The crowd roared, a group of medics worked desperately to pull the pilot out, and the other racers flew on. Though alive, the pilot was singed and unconscious; his condition did not go unnoticed by his companion. The creature hissed, and flared its tail, rage fabricated every bit of its being, its tail, its eyes, its sharp teeth, and he sunk his teeth into Adnarim's arm.

Nourasians on beetles in charge of monitoring the race were on the snake just as the audience gasped. They held their glowing bows high, and slowly, bullied the alien into submission. He was immediately taken away and disqualified. The Terrartite-Umbatah team won by default. Before this was even announced, Jordan and Nasyue were racing through the stands down to the race track. They soon met Adnarim, who was holding his injured arm with an expression of pain.

"Brother!" Nasyue shouted, quickening her pace. "How badly are you injured?"

"It is nothing but a scratch," He replied through gritted teeth.

"It's a scratch that should be treated. I have a first aid kit at my hanger. We can get you patched up in no time!" Jordan gave out an offer that was quickly accepted with thanks.

"Might you know why you were attacked?" Asked the Nourasian girl who –along with Stan and Koji- had followed them.

"I'm afraid I haven't a clue." He replied with a wince at his out attempted shrug.

"This is no time to be chatting, brother! We must have your shoulder treated!" The girl with multi-colored hair nagged, tugging at her sibling's wrist, before dragging him off to the Special Events Hanger.

The party of six lounged about the Human hanger while Jordan bandaged Adnarim's shoulder. Jordan had polished his first-aid skills during the Crog War. He could set a broken bone, stop bleeding, and treat burn wounds, but he wasn't as good as the average healer. He was more of a short term solution.

"There you go. You should probably have it checked on at the Palace Infirmary later, just in case." With this seen to, Bevele and the two mechanics loafed about. Aikka and Eva weren't back from their training yet, and they had nothing to do.

"I know!" A light bulb brightened over the Nourasian's head. "I know a great palace in the palace! Let me show you!" She indicated to Stan, Koji, and Jordan. "You too, Nasyue!" She declared with high energy as the Terratite looked about hesitantly.

"But- I must-" She interjected quickly.

Her brother gave her a push. "Go on, have fun! I'll look after matters here!" Though hesitantly, Nasyue agreed, and the now hyper Bevele led them away.

* * *

She led them to the depths of the palace, and into the North Library. Up the circling staircase, running her hands along the spines of books as she went. Up a rolling ladder, through a trap door, and into complete darkness. Jordan stared into the void; he could practically hear Nasyue's nervousness beside him. She probably didn't know what to expect.

A curtain rustled, and blinding light enveloped the room. Stars shone in Jordan's eyes, and he instinctively held up a hand to shield them. He was beginning to wish the darkness had stayed as he slowly regained his vision. Nasyue stood in the center of the cruel light beam. Her silhouette was outlined by the streaming light, and her diluted violet eyes seemed to twinkle even though no direct light hit them. She waited as the others slowly regained their day eyes. She turned then, and led them deeper into the dust coated room. _Come with me._ She seemed to say. _Come along._

It was a maze of old furniture, strange instruments, and spare doors and window frames. Bevele led them through it all. They ducked, wove, and even crawled in some places: it was like a crazy maze. Worst of all, the entire thing was coated in dust. There could easily be one to five millimeters in some places. Jordan couldn't help but feel like an _Alice in Wonderland_, except Bevele wasn't a white rabbit, and he definitely wasn't an Alice. After pausing to think about this, Jordan realized that his mother had once told him that had he have been a girl, he would have been named Alice. Or was it Alexandria? Maybe Anne? Oh well, it didn't matter now.

All went fairly well until Koji accidentally knocked over a window frame. The wood came crashing down and stirred up quite a bit of dust, like a smoke screen. This wouldn't have been that big of a fuss had Nasyue's delicate Terratite nose not been so sensitive to dust. Soon she was sneezing up a storm with little puddles of tears in the corners of her eyes, and every sneeze stirring up more dust. Jordan silently cursed; He had no handkerchiefs in his pockets, nor any spare material that could protect Nasyue's nose from the dust. Finally, an idea occurred to him. It had worked in the military, so why shouldn't it work here? He yanked off his white t-shirt and held it over Nasyue's nose. Gradually, the sneezing stopped. She slowly blinked away the tears, and stared at Jordan with clear, sparkling green eyes.

"You brother had the same problem during some of the dust storms during the Crog War. I always ended up giving him my shirt to cover his nose, so I figured it would work for you too." Jordan explained as Nasyue smiled beneath the t-shirt covering the lower half of her face.

"Jordan, I must give you my gratitude." Her muffled voice told him.

"Hey, no problem." He told her with a genuine smile. Though Terratties do not blush, Nasyue was blushing all over. She followed him obediently as he led the way out.

If only things were that easy.

Having fallen behind the others, Jordan had no idea where they were, and what way to go. They wandered hopelessly for a few minutes until Nasyue suggested that they followed the dustless path Bevele and the mechanics had left behind. This is probably what saved them, and helped them reach the other side. The Nourasian girl was standing in an open window, almost as if she was leaning into the wind that gusted from beyond the sill. Stan and Koji were leaning against the frame; they stood up as Jordan approached.

"What took you so long- Where's you shirt Jordan?" Koji asked rather abruptly.

"Poor Nasyue over here was having a sneezing attack, and I lent it to her so she could stop." He explained simply. Stan shrugged it off, and Bevele didn't even bat an eyelash: she had seen plenty of shirtless men when she watched them work in the fields. Next they had to cross a rickety looking wooden bridge crawling with plants. Then up a few more flights of stairs. Finally, their destination.

It was a room with a giant tree making a pillar in the center. Its branches escaped out the windows all along the round room. And beyond that, a breath taking view. The mountains to the North consumed the sky, and the forests before them brimmed with life. To the south, rolling hills topped with turning windmills. They all froze, watching the framed scenes through each window.

After the appropriate amount time had passed, Bevele turned to them all with a bight smile. "So who's ready for the trip back?"


	17. Anticipating the Coming Storm

**Bonds**

Disclaimer: Should I have been the masterful creator of Oban, a mob of fan girls would appear out of nowhere and swarm Aikka as Molly and Jordan watched, contemplating whether to rescue him or let him suffer.

Author's Note: Hello everyone! I'm here with another update, and it has only been two weeks! Rejoice, because I've wasted much precious sleeping and homework time to get this to you. I've decided to try and keep my updates at once every two weeks. That gives me plenty of time to write them, and you guys something to look forward to on an actually predictable schedule. If, for some odd reason, I don't happen to get a new chapter up in two weeks, you're all free to PM and e-mail me with flames, taunts, demands, ect. I'll be waiting to dump a load of paperwork on you when you arrive, heh.

**IchikoKitsuneKoumori**: I'm glad you like the knife. Enchanted blades are very useful. I wish I had one. I LOVE big trees. They make me warm and fuzzy inside. :)

**DramaQueen of the moon:** It pleases me that you like my work so. I'll do my best to keep it the same quality it has been.

**Fushica:** :D More arting! Fushi should totally draw more Oban arts! That would make Mab very happy, yesss.

**APurpleAvacado:** Why Adnarim was attacked? Don't worry, Aikka touches on that subject rather thoroughly. All will be explained eventually. I'm glad to make you laugh. I'm not sure, but it just seemed fitting at the moment. I don' know; I'm not one to really drool over muscular guys. I've always been more interested in personality myself. Heh, Bevele simply understands that her current company could only stand staring at pretty scenery for so long before they become bored. Here's your review!

**-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-:** Hmm… I can't really see it as one my paintings myself. Things always look so much prettier in my head, and when they come out on paper, well… blah. Still, I'm glad one of us can visualize it. Yah, I agree, though thinking about it now, should the snake-being not have attacked Adnarim, I'm not really sure who would have won. Heh, I was kind of running out of inspiration toward the end, and since I'm in love with Ghibli films, I find my stuff highly influenced by them. This is probably the first time I've made something very similar and was aware of it though. ;

**Isabella of the Night:** Yes, XD, I would complain as well, but as Bevele would say "It's all about the journey, not the destination!" There actually wasn't that much AikkaEva in the previous chapter, but there's some fluff at the end of this one so I hope you like.

**Spellcaster Hikaru:** Oh yes, the Crogs will play an important role in this story. Give me one to two more chapters, and they will make their appearance. And what an appearance it will be… It's not that Aikka's first in line for the throne, but he's pretty darn close, giving him an endless amount of work to do. Hmm… poison, that's an interesting idea. However, snakey-thing doesn't have rabies, poison, or anything of the sort, so all Adnarim will have is a flesh wound. As do I. A hideaway would be great, and go up there with my laptop and my art supplies and never come down again.

**RedMageSalyre:** Heh heh heh. I had fun with the shirtless Jordan. I Want to poke his tummy. Hmm… I've had a lot of request about drawing that, I just might have to. Still, thank you for your comments! It encourages me to keep going.

**ThePenguinCOMMANDER:** Don't worry, there will be plenty of more AikkaEva fluff further on. I'm glad you liked the 'splodable fruit. It was fun to write about!

**land of lost socks**: Still, your username is freaking awesome. I want to hug it and put it in my washing machine. Anyways, I'm glad to update, I'll try to keep my next updates more regular.

**Chapter Seventeen: Anticipating the Coming Storm**

The Nourasian Knights were the hand if power in Nourasia. They were both the head of the military, and the police force. They dealt with problems within Nourasia, and with invaders from beyond the green planet. It was a great honor to be given the title of 'Nourasian Knight'. Aikka was one with that title. Since he was a young boy, he had worked hard t achieve this feat. It had taken continuous hours under the constant guidance of his advisor, Canaan, who had also been a Knight in his prime before giving up the title to serve as the Prince's bodyguard and teacher.

As of late, Aikka had become consumed with his duties as a Prince, and as a Nourasian Knight. This is why he had so desperately needed a Shabbat, (1) a time to relax, and he rested through racing. This wasn't the first occurrence his Nourasian duties had interrupted his time to race, but it was the first where is knowledge of the track had given him work as a Knight.

The event concerning the Faatyn (better known as the floating snake in the mind of Jordan C. Wilde) had startled the Knights to say the least. To them it was no mere scuffle on the race track, but the relationship between four nations. Both the Terratites and the Umbatah could view the Faatyn's actions as a personal offense against their entire species. Feelings such as these could lead to war, and war was not something the NOurasians wanted after they had just so recently obtained peace.

The first obvious offense was that of the Faatyn. He had attacked the Terratite racer in front of everyone: No one could deny his crimes. Still, what had caused him to strike? And more importantly, what happened to the Ibijimian (the one Jordan called glue and bubbles) ship, and why had it exploded? Was it a malfunction in the star-racer, or something caused by the other racers?

This answer was something Aikka couldn't seem to determine. He had stared into the screen of the little video Stan and Koji had captured many times, and yet still he knew so little! What aggravated him the most was how little he knew of what had happened in the first plant blockage. Much to his dismay, the Faatyn had been shipped back to is home planet in shame immediately afterwards without questioning, and the Ibijimian was still in the Infirmary. After questioning, the healers looking after the rat-like creature had reviled it would taken him anywhere from three days to a week to awaken. Though he had wanted to hear from their team, wit no options left, Aikka had even gone to the Umbatah and the Terratites to see what had happened. Neither said to know anything more than the viewers in the stands, leaving Aikka where he had started. It looked like Aikka would have to wait for the Ibijimian, meaning there was n way to get the full story before the Final Race.

Aikka was worried. Not ruling out the possible treachery of the Umbatah and/or the Terratite would mean both Eva and he could b in danger in their next race. His kingdom needed him: for him to be injured or killed could lead to catastrophe. And Eva, well, he just didn't want –no- he wouldn't allow anyone to harm her. But with every second that passed the race grew closer, and Aikka wasn't any nearer to solving the case.

* * *

Eva wished her jabs were as smooth and effortless as Jordan's. They whistled through the air with such a mood that it was as if this action were merely the simple task of picking up a mug of coffee. Eva's jabs were wobbly and uneducated, her foot work was messy, and her actions jerky. Still, not much could be expected from someone who had only been practicing as long as this pilot.

She paused, hesitating about the next move. Jordan seized the opening and came forward with two powerful punches. Leaping backwards to get out of the way, Eva underestimated the reach of the _Reflection's _fins, and struck her right elbow against one with a clang.

A string of curses flowed from her mouth and she held her throbbing elbow as she did the shuffle of pain.

"How badly did you hit it?"Asked Jordan, lowering his fists with a look of concern.

"It's nothing big. I just scrapped it yesterday, so it's a little sore." Eva explained, rubbing the harmed appendage which had turned a soft pink.

"You wanna keep going then?" Jordan asked with the air of an instructor, the usual concern showing in his dreamy brown eyes.

"Of course." Her words were accompanied by the nodding of her head. They both held out right fists, touching them to symbolize the honor of training with their opponent. Then the second session began. Eva fared worse than she had before, mostly because her thoughts were elsewhere. The previous afternoon, two prestigious looking Nourasians wearing the same armor Aikka had during the race confronted the Prince on his and Eva's trip back to the palace. It seemed something very important had come up and he would be needed for other matters. After giving her a quick farewell smile he had disappeared into some area of the palace currently unknown to Eva. Before Stan and Koji's video was passed to Aikka, Eva had been ordered to watch it (by none other than Don Wei) and discovered the scope of Aikka's new task. It explained why he was absent at breakfast the morning after, and suggested he might not even be present for the final race the next day. Eva had waited for him at the hanger or a short while before realizing he wasn't coming. Bevele had stolen the two mechanics after breakfast, and Don had just received an important business call from back on Earth, and was currently in his room with his communicator dealing with it. With no one else to talk to, Eva had turned to her ever faithful partner who had suggested another self-defense lesson.

"Eva, that's the fifth time I've broken your guard! What's wrong?" Jordan said with exasperation after their little session.

"I was just thinking, sorry." She scratched the back of head in embarrassment.

A sigh escaped from Jordan's lips and he made a suggestion. "Alright, no more sparring for today. I'll teach you a simple exercise to help you learn how to match your footwork with your punches."

Eva nodded for him to go on: she was listening.

"First get in your fighting stance." Jordan paused as Eva shifted her feet into the correct position. "Now, I want you to imagine that you're standing on a giant clock face. You're going to move in a clockwise circle, jabbing at 12, 3, 6, and 9. Between each number I want you to step like a showed you." Eva followed his instructions, shifting her left foot and then her right with each of the three steps between the four numbers so she always kept in her fighting stance. Once she had gone around the clock five times, Jordan stopped her, instructing her to now punch with every step she made. This was a little harder because Eva had to coordinate her feet and her arms, but with Jordan's calm guidance, and after two complete revolutions, Eva finally got it. Jordan made her circle three more clock faces until her was positive she had mastered it. On the sixth time though, something changed.

"Eva, your punches are getting slower." Her teacher observed as she stopped to rest.

"My arm's just really sore for some reason." Eva looked to her elbow that seemed to be glowing red.

"Just what did you do to it yesterday?" Jordan asked, taking her elbow in his strong hands and inspecting it.

"I tripped on my shoelaces and scrapped a bunch of skin off." She explained. "It was really cool though, cause Aikka healed me."

"That's right! I had almost forgotten Princey could do that." Jordan said as he returned her elbow.

"You knew?" Eva's eyes went wide: how could the ex-gunner have known something about the Nourasian Prince before her?

"Yah, I remember watching him learn advanced healing during the Crog War. The Nourasian Knights were improving their ranks by making every _Phon Umnai_ learn how to heal. It was pretty handy out on the battle field." He paused and changed the subject abruptly. "Anyways, we should probably quit for the day and give you arm some time recover."

Eva took this excuse gratefully. It wasn't that she didn't like Jordan's self defense, but she was on a foreign planet. Self defense lessons could be done any boring day, but this might be her only time to explore Nourasia. However, before she went full out on her exploration, she decided to go visit Urlda in the kitchens; it was almost lunch time, and she was hungry.

* * *

As soon as Eva opened the doors to the vast kitchens, Eva almost wished she hadn't. Nourasians were moving around like atoms in a hot substance (2); everyone seemed to have at least two jobs, and it was making Eva dizzy just watching them. In the middle of the seeming confusion was Urlda and all her bulk shouting commands.

"Hiune! Check the bread to make sure it's baking properly! Tijgfa! I thought I told you to chop finer! No Waonu! You don't mix in the Frengrar until last!" She billowed orders from her giant lungs like a pianist striking their fingers harshly against the lowest keys of a piano. The sound coming out in short, speedy bursts. There was no place this woman was more at home, and no talent that topped this. She cooked, shouted, cursed, and presented a spread both beautiful and healthy at every meal.

Though intimidated at first, Eva was soon mingling among the Nourasians. As she had never been good at asking for things, the pilot planned to grab a single roll from a pile cooling on the counter nearest. A few second thoughts slipped into Eva's mind as she approached the basket, but there was no going back now. She was a guest here, surely that entitled her to a single roll?

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Straight blond hair and ears like airplane wings looked at Eva from over a basket filled with more rolls, these slightly hotter than those Eva's hand was stationed above. "Urlda will be really mad."

Eva jumped like a startled animal, and turned all her attention to the kitchen aide. She was wearing a white apron-like cloth over a pale blue dress with white designs on it. Tanned eyelids more of a yellow tone blinked to cover eyes of blue as she started a staring contest with the red-eyed Earth girl. A voice cut through their contest.

"Hiune! Why are you stal- Eva?" The woman pushed her way through the people to secure a place standing next to the two of them. "Now what are you doing here?" She eyed the Earthen, then her eyes moved to where Eva's hand was still frozen in place. "Ah ha! Thought you'd get away with my food that easily did you?" An evil grin smeared itself onto the head cook's face.

"I was just kinda hungry, and I thought that since I'm a guest-" Eva began in the mouse-like manner that had earned her the title 'Little Mouse' so long ago.

Urlda's grin seemed to grow like mold on wheat bread (3) and in no time she was spewing out her next orders. "Not in my kitchen. If you want food, you have to earn it. Hiune, get her an apron, and then start her mixing dough." Eva wasn't even given time to protest as she was yanked to a cupboard pilled with material. The kitchen aide called Hiune unfolded an apron and handed it to Eva. The red-topped brunette simply stared at the garment. She shook it out and then inspected it. She couldn't seem to figure out what was the front versus the back, or how to tie it on.

"Here. Let me help!" The blond seemed eager to please, and unbelievably kind. _Then again, _Eva rethought as the apron was tied around her middle. _Didn't Aikka say all Nourasians are chivalrous and hospitable?_ "So did the Frengrar oil make our Prince notice you?" She asked rather unexpectedly.

"Huh?" Eva stared blankly at her for what seemed like the third time, and they hadn't been in each other's company two minutes!

The blond Nourasian girl looked up from the tie she was fastening just above Eva's elbow. "The special oil I gave you at the baths not three sunsets back? Has Aikka noticed your smell?" Eva stared closer at the kitchen aide. Of course! How could she have forgotten? This Nourasian was the one she had met in the baths and been forced to tell about Aikka to: Aikka Obsessed Nourasian Number Two.

"No, but it was still really helpful. Thanks a lot!" Eva quickly remedied her situation.

"I see… That's why Aikka didn't notice me when I was wearing it either…" She looked a bit chest fallen for a moment as she stared at the stone floor. "But we should start working! Otherwise Urlda will yell at us." Her mood changed like a spring storm, and soon she was dragging Eva to one of the counters.

* * *

Though the apron was a little difficult to work with (It looked vaguely like a piece of cloth draped over her front, secured by brown colored ties above her elbows, around her waist, and around her neck.) the time Eva spent in the kitchens was quite enjoyable. Hiune kept good company, and cooking with new utensils was fun, like some game. Before she even knew where the time had gone, a good Earth hour had passed, and Eva's tattooed face was smudged with flour, and her mouth full of the smell of good food. She had just finished pulling the last batch of rolls from the oven when Urlda's booming voice demanded Eva's attention.

"I trust you know where the Prince's chambers are, eh girl?" Urlda asked her, the woman's grey eyes seeming to demand an answer.

"O-of course!" Eva answered quickly.

"Good. I want you to take this tray of food to him. But don't linger too long with the Prince, I don't want you making love with him before he's eaten his lunch." She said it with a completely straight face, Eva could swear she was serious.

"Wha-?! I wouldn't- We would never- I mean-" She sputtered, her face as if some devious painter had taken their brush and splashed red paint all over it in messy strokes.

Hearty laughter escaped Urlda's throat, and she patted Eva roughly on the back. " I know, girl, I know. Now get out of here! The Prince needs his meal!"

* * *

Eva knocked hesitantly on Aikka's door, balancing the tray in one hand. She hadn't realized she was covered in flour until after she had exited the kitchens, and now was feeling horribly self-conscious. A voice she identified as Aikka's called for her to come in, and she crept in, the closing the door behind her. A great windowsill sitting next to a large stained glass window stared back at her. She immediately recognized it as the place she and Aikka had spent the night sitting on. But in the light of mid-day, Eva saw much more than she had that first night. First off, lining the wall next to the windowsill were pots imbedded in the floor: vines of various greens snaked out of them, and stretched to reach the multi-colored light by sneaking up the stone wall. Through an open archway to the left a neatly made bed could easily be seen, and through another archway on the right was Aikka's study. The walls were lined with books, all except the far right corner, where a desk had been built in. It was covered in papers, half used ink wells, and Eva was pretty sure she spotted Stan and Koji's video camera. Aikka sat amidst it all, the only sign he was alive being the quick movement of his hand on a piece of parchment.

He didn't even look up as he spoke to her, his back turned. "Please set it here." He motioned to a space on the desk free of other objects, obviously aware she had brought him lunch.

"As you wish my Prince," she relied with the air of a submissive servant. Eva didn't want to bother the working Prince. She had seen her father sitting in front of piles of paperwork like this before, and she had learned that it was best to steer clear until he was finished. Plus she wanted to give Aikka his space. Even if their only time to spend together was growing short, she didn't want to seem like a fan girl. But most of all, she didn't want to make Aikka angry for bothering him. She wanted her most recent memories to be of his smiling face, not of a face contorted in anger.

Aikka paused mid-thought. He had sworn he had just heard Eva's voice. Could this be one of the hallucinations caused by too much paperwork that Canaan had spoken about? Just to be sure, Aikka turned around in his chair to catch the back of Eva as she approached his door. Even wearing the apron of his people and covered in flour, there was no mistaking her black hair tipped with red.

"Eva?" He called out quickly, rising from his chair. She froze mid-step, and then slowly turned to face him. He was so glad to see her, even if hadn't even been a complete day, to see her face, albeit a bit dirty, just brought light to his day. He raised a hand to her face, to wipe the offending flour away from her stripe. Her wanted to pull her into his arms right then and there, and stroke her short hair with his fingertips. He wanted her warmth against his body, and her soft smile in his eyes. He wanted her. He loved her. But that would all have to wait. His paperwork beckoned, and he was sure from her appearance and what she had brought that Urlda would soon want her back. So he did the next best thing. Clearing the hair from her forehead, he planted a soft soothing kiss between the parted curtain of black strands.

Time stood still there for a moment. His hot lips on her forehead and her face growing a sticky red. As he slowly pulled away, he could tell from the shimmer in her eyes that his simple gesture had meant the world to her. It was like the promise to always think of her, no matter how busy he became, to always wait for the chance when they would be together again. His lips had started it, and her eyes confirmed it. This was a promise she wouldn't let him soon break.

"I'll see you at the race tomorrow?" This wasn't a question, not really. It was more of a much needed confirmation from a girl who hadn't realized just how attached she really was.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." He told her with his blue eyes soft as velvet. He fixed her hair and gave her a quick hug before she left, the door closing with the air of hope.

* * *

He sat thinking for a long while afterwards; his work on the case involving the Faayn and the Ibijimian nearly forgotten. In only two days, his Eva would leave him for Earth. He didn't know if he would ever see her again. With all the work he had now, it would be impossible to get away. But the thought of not seeing her smiling face for another span of three years was too horrible for the alien prince to bear. Even a whole month would be torture. He needed her. But what could he do to keep them together forever?

* * *

(1) Shabbat – A Jewish term for a period of rest, such as the Sabbath, or the Holy Day where no work would be preformed.

(2) When a substance is heated, the atoms become exited, and move around far faster than they would at room temperature. Likewise when the temperature is lowered, the atoms movement lessens. And that's you science lesson for today:)

(3) Surprisingly, mold grows faster on wheat bread than it does on white. This can be attributed to all the preservatives pumped into whit bread. What's this, more science?


	18. Twisting his Purpose

**Bonds**

Disclaimer: When Koji grows up he's going to become Sherlock Homes in the Twenty Second Century.

Author's Note: I'm so sorry it took me forever to update. I know I said two weeks, but when two weeks rolled around, I didn't really have anything to present. Plus my muse died of starvation. I haven't been feeding it enough Oban. I planted a new one, so hopefully it should be full grown soon.

**APurpleAvacado:** Heh. Though, I do believe Aikka gets the answer to his problem in this chapter, it will be fully explained by Canaan at the beginning of the next chapter. –wanders off laughing evilly- I like Urlda too. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if she'll be making any other appearances. If there's enough demand, I'll consider it.

**DramaQueen of the moon:** I'm glad you like. Unfortunately for Aikka his and Eva situation is way too complicated for him to ask her to marry her. Besides, she's only eighteen! She has her whole life ahead of her

**RedMageSalyre:** Yay! Someone guessed! I'm so happy! Yes, We have finally hit the climax, and the plot takes many twists from this point on.

**-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-:** Arigato! -glomps back- Studio Ghibli makes me happy. As a result of Princess Mononoke I was obsessed with wolves for like three years. Yah… .

**Icekitsune4ever:** I'm glad you liked the fluff. Fluff is fun to write every now and then.

**Post Preemptive Pandora:** -falls over laughing-

**Lupe191919:** Hmm, that's two people who like Urlda. I seems I might need to write another scene for her.

**ThePenguinCOMMANDER:** Lolz. Does my science scare you? -peers at you with great round eyes the size of the moon- Don't worry about not reviewing forever. It still took me plenty of time to get this chapter done, so if you're excused for lateness than so am I!

**IchikoKitsuneKoumori:** No, Aikka's parents don't play any large role in this story. They might toward the end, but that's not important. AH! I love you! That's right! You should always try changing the question. It excites me how similar to a philosopher your thought process is. Still, I do believe that's the question Aikka's asking himself. As for what he does with that thought though, I can tell you for fear I will spoil my carefully laid plans.

**Fushica: **-throws you a donut life preserver- -it explodes- O.O Hm… This isn't good.

**whitehitsugaya:** I'm really glad you like it so far. Sorry updates take me so long. . I update when I can!

**dolphingurl08:** I'm so glad! Well, though it's kind of mentioned the whole thing should be completely cleared up next chapter. Well, not completely, but you'll know who the instigators are! And don't worry about the spelling, you should see how I type when I'm exhausted, it's scary. .O

**land of lost socks:** Yay! Sock-Chan! I was started to worry I'd scared you off with my washing machine comment. .

**Tails-Coyote-Carnivore:** I'm honored that you should read my fic only five episodes in. Keep watching, it gets better! Oh, and I'm really sorry for the long delay. I think this is the longest I've ever gone without updating.

**Chapter Eighteen: Twisting his Purpose**

Despite her original intentions, Eva ended up spending the remainder of the afternoon in the kitchens. Ever since Oban, cooking had become something fun, a time to spend with her family and friends. This attitude and the fact that Hiune and the other Nourasians were equally hospitable and kind made the time enjoyable. Besides, Hiune taught her a few Nourasian cooking secrets which she couldn't wait to show her dad. Once everyone in the castle had been fed, the cooks ate, and only after this did Eva bid them farewell. She stopped by the hanger (though slightly out of her way) and said a quick goodnight to the _Reflection_, Stan, Koji, and Jordan. Then, after a quick bath, she headed to Don's room.

Don was still rather stressed about the call he had received. It seemed someone had broken into the hanger while they were gone. Though nothing besides a few star-racing parts had been stolen, (Eva was sure the mechanics would be rather dismayed as soon as they heard of this.) the police still had to run a full investigation, and the absence of Don Wei wasn't making things easy. Eva consoled her father by saying that they would only be on Nourasia two more full days. Though this relived the father, it only further reminded the daughter of the issue involving the Nourasian prince.

* * *

And who better to greet her the following morning than Prince Aikka a himself? Upon seeing this, Eva immediately became flustered, demanding to know just how long the Nourasian had been waiting for her, and why he hadn't knocked earlier. This got a chuckle out of the prince. 

"It matters not. Besides," he added with a more serious tone. "I would wait forever for you if need be, my Earth Princess."

Eva waved it off as only she could, and gave him a friendly punch in the shoulder. But something more foreboding shivered in her bones. More and more she was beginning to realize that the Prince was more than fond of her. His love was like that of a blooming flower yet to become a ripe fruit.

Although he had long since become accustom to Eva's behavior, Aikka paused a moment to resist the urge to rub his shoulder, before offering Eva a hand to act as her escort to breakfast.

* * *

Preparations had been made, looked over, checked, checked again, re-checked, before a final check, then one fore luck, and then another for double luck. Yes, the _Reflection_ and her pilot were definitely ready for the final race. Eva drove out of the Special Events Hanger and onto the race way, taking in the scene. Directly around her the other racers (one Umbatah, the other Terratite) were getting ready to go, and directly to her left Aikka, mounted on a proud G'dar who was unusually shiny today. Then the race track: it had doubled in size since her last race here, but Eva wasn't worried, Oban, albeit three years ago, had prepared her for nearly anything. Above more people were jammed into the stands then Eva thought possible. They looked like a mosaic of reds, yellows, and browns. All heads soon turned toward the great orb towering in the center of the track, and so Eva's did as well. 

The two humans displayed on the orb seemed familiar for some odd reason. Ah! They were the two reporters who had interviewed her and Aikka back on Earth. Sure enough, the logo of the press they represented was shown on the screen for a few moments before a sort of profile of Eva appeared on the orb. She immediately scowled at her face which was surrounded by common useless information. (her age, height, how long she had been racing, ect.) The other racers were shown in succession directly afterwards and accompanied by the same information.

Though Eva loved racing, she had never been as wild about the attention as her mother. Sure, she loved to hear the shouting of the crowds for victory, but all the publicity just wasn't her thing. _Stupid Reporters_. At least they had enough sense to put the units in Common. Besides a language, Common also had a system of measurement. It had been created in such a way that all one had to do was plug the numbers into a formula to get the measurement in their own system. Each planet had their own formula, so it worked for everyone. However, it was only useful to a point, since each species varied in age expectancy. Fihls, for example, lived about double that of a human, whereas Nouasians lived an average of ten to twenty more Earth years than the common human. Speaking of Nourasians, Eva was surprised to discover Aikka was only a year older than herself. With his attitude, and royal air, one would assume he was much older, but truth be told he was a year younger than Jordan! Surprise, Surprise.

Amongst the crowd most all stared up at the orb filled with a slide show of information. Some interested while others showed signs of irritation for the delay on the start of the race. Jordan C Wilde was not involved in with either category. In fact, he belonged to a section all of his own: the category of shock. It was written all over his face with a black magic marker in bold capitalization. The reason for his shock was the final slide of information. Had Jordan not have remembered that murky green face with a torn ear and an ugly grey scar beneath the left eye, he would have surely remembered the name: Tou Ke. It was an average Umbatah name, with the usual shortness of only two syllables. The Umbatah were known for their blunt attitudes and their dislike for superfluous things. This was shown both their attitude and names. In their alphabet, there was an insane amount of letters, each a mix of the base 24 letters, (1) Tou and Ke each being a letter. When a child was bon they were given a two letter name, and that was that.

No it wasn't the name itself that surprised Jordan, but the memories that went with it. Tou Ke had been a soldier in the Crog War. In the Umbatah army he had a fairly high position and was looked up to by many soldiers of all species. However, halfway through the war it was discovered he was a traitor as he practically handed a huge section of space that was under his protection to the Crogs. Later it was discovered that he had also been selling information to the other side, which explained why so many Umbatah strategies had failed miserably. Though he was never caught, a universal warrant had been put out for his arrest, and he had supposedly been exiled from the Umbatah home planet, Ubtar.

Yet his profile had just been shown to a whole crowd of people. He was racing _right now_! Right after Eva and Princey won this race, Jordan planned to head straight to Canaan. It was about time that traitor got what was coming to him.

* * *

Anticipation gripped Eva's body as her heart beat like a drum. The jittering tinge of adrenaline racing through her veins had made the tempo of that drum increase rapidly. _Thump, Thump, Thump, THUMP._ Don reminded her to be careful and Koji told her some random Nourasian proverb on the subject of doing one's best that he had learned from Bevele. Stan gave her some last tips about the _Reflection_, and Canaan reminded his own charge to be cautious. Everyone was ready. The orb signaled it was time to go, and all racers shot forward like four bullets fired simultaneously from four different guns. She took the lead while the Umbatah (whom she had learned to be called Tou Ke from the all telling orb) and Aikka fought for second with Adnarim lagging behind. This lead didn't last long as they all turned to flow with the twisting track. Tou Ke took advantage of Aikka's position on the outside of the turn, and rammed into him unexpectedly. G'dar screeched, and spun off course into the vegetation. Continuing this destructive force, Tou Ke flew forward and rammed Eva with the long prong on his star-racer. Quick reactions saved Eva as she yanked the controls to the right, narrowly escaping the Umbatah, though not without a price. Tou Ke gladly seized up first place, leaving Eva and Aikka in second and fourth. 

Recovering from the loss, Aikka was able to pass Adnarim's cloud in an open stretch, and then Eva at a curve. He maneuvered skillfully around his human partner, and into the place called second. A maze of roots and branches sprung up from no where and all pilots were forced to weave through at max speed so to keep their positions. It was quite dense, with very few openings wide enough for the leaders. Tou Ke raced on, flying through a spacious opening with Aikka barely behind him. Aikka seized the chance to take a risky move. Just below the opening was a narrow space between a root and the ground. There was no way G'dar would fit through when flying normally, but the crafty prince was determined, and he flew on without changing pace. Just as it looked like they were going to hit the root, G'dar did the unexpected; he folded up his shell and slid through on his belly like a hockey puck on ice.

The Umbatah wasn't expecting Aikka to come from below, and using this surprise to his advantage, the Nourasian was easily able to fly around him, through the remaining obstacles, and into first place. This was the last stretch before the finish line. It was all up to this. The pilots: they were all ready, filled with desire for the prize of victory. But Aikka wasn't willing to let go. He urged G'dar forward at top speed as if his life depended on it.

The funny thing was that his position was what led to his downfall.

Just as he approached the line, the cannons on Tou Ke's ship lit up like little red eyes. The first shot came slowly, slicing through Aikka's abdomen in what seemed like slow motion. Even with the world frozen, Eva was able to push her star-racer into Tou Ke's to throw off his aim as the final four shots fired in quick succession. Ping, a burst of blood from his shoulder; Ping, a gush from his bicep; Ping, his elbow seemed to have blown off; Ping, a graze on his side appeared. Then, normal time resumed and all sound burst from the world. Aikka's right arm exploded in a shower of blood. It was no wonder, considering this cannon was made for piercing ships.

But rime and sound had not resumed for the Nourasian girl now standing in the bleachers. Her mouth seemed to have locked itself in place as she watched her only remaining brother crumple and fall to the ground. Bevele was running before her mind even willed her to go. It was painful. Her bare foot skidded across the hard stone, sending an agonizing jolt through her leg. Moments seemed to pass before the same happened with her other leg. She just kept running. Her feet knew where to go. It was down the seemingly infinite flights of stairs and through a mass of trees. The track, to her brother, she needed to get there. She would not stand by and watch him die like her oldest brother. No, this one would live. Her long ears whipped across her face in the self created wind, leaving little bruises were her earrings had hit. But she didn't stop, at least, not by her own will.

A foot had been held out, sending her tumbling to her face and hands near the bottom of the stairs. She was not even allowed time to move as a gag was forced into her mouth and her hands and feet bound. Her attacker: an Umbatah of a shade of deep green. He had vicious grin, as though seeing the Nourasian Princess in pain gave him much enjoyment. The smile on his face didn't haunt Bevele long because Jordan (who had been only one flight of stairs behind her) knocked the creature down with the back of his elbow. Before the alien could stand, Jordan landed a swift kick in his face, temporarily knocking him unconscious.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked her with concern. Bevele responded by quickly shaking her head and making as many muffled noises as possible, flailing her head forward, pointing behind Jordan. Just as the ex-gunner turned, an alien gun became good friends with his face, and her tumbled backward, just as unconscious as he had rendered the first Umbatah.

– The basic Umbatah letters are the same as the English alphabet with two exceptions, there is no X, and there is no difference between the letters R and L.


	19. Fantasizing the Future

**Bonds**

Disclaimer: Rick has a pet cactus whom he talks to on a regular basis.

Author's Note: Eh… I can't give out any real excuses. All I can tell you is I'm going to finish this story not matter what, regardless of the breaks in-between chapters.

**whitehitsugaya: **Eh… Well I updated.

**IchikoKitsuneKoumori: **Don't worry; He's going to be somewhat okay. Well, do whatever you want to the Umbatah, but just don't hurt Bevele, kay?

**-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-: **Mab is very sorry to cause you such stress Mari-Chan! But it had to be done. Sorry about the wait. –sweatdrop-

**Tails-Coyote-Carnivore:** Why Thank you. I'm glad you liked it.

**inferno of darkness:** Thank you!

**DramaQueen of the moon:** Sorry about the lateness.

**land of lost socks**: I try Sock-Chan. But… Mab has difficulty getting chapters done as of late.

**RedMageSalyre:** Well, Jordan and Aikka should be fine, but it's not them I'm worried about…

**OSR4ever:** Ahh! Stop making me feel so guilty!

**APurpleAvacado:** Yes, we are heading toward the end, but I have a few more plot twists, a character or two to introduce, and more romantic angst first. Let's just say that with the exception of this chapter, there is much more excitement to come.

**ThePenguinCOMMANDER**: Hey, Thanks for the review. I'm sorry about getting my chapters up so late. It's not the apocalypse, just the climax. Though I have seen an increase in signs for the apocalypse recently.

**Fushica:** I understand how you feel. I have plenty of my own to get to. Gak! Life Bottle! Life Bottle! Don't die on my Fushi-Chan!

**StrugglingArtist**: Well, the Crogs are connected somehow, but you'll have to wait to find out.

**Jordan's Gal:** Well, I updated. ;

**Chapter Nineteen: Fantasizing the Future.**

The usual 'bumbering' level of sound floated about the infirmary like a usual late summer afternoon. But it wasn't a usual afternoon. Today there was a special visitor, two special visitors in fact. In the farther left corner of the room behind a soft green curtain King Loa sat beside is unconscious son. His fingers twitched, wishing to fix his son's soft mahogany hair, which had been removed from its ties and headpiece, and now lay ruffled across his pillow like a halo of hair around his head. But Aikka detested when his father fawned over his hair, so being the honorable man, the king resisted.

Even with fresh clothes on, one could see the bulge of bandages wrapped round his abdomen and thigh. But these injuries worried the King very little; the healers had assured him that given a good two weeks of rest they would heal up nicely. No, he was most worried about his son's arm. At the current moment it was bare, save for the bandages. A sticky green salve had been smothered of the wounds, covered by absorbent green leaves and then tightly wrapped in white cloth; this ran from the edge of his collar bone to the beginning of his forearm. The three shots had done horrid damage to both muscle tissue and bone. With time, the muscle would grow back, but the healers were quite uncertain about the bone. His shoulder had been dislocated, and his humerus bone nicked, nevertheless, the worst was his elbow, where the entire joint had been shattered. Many healers feared that nothing could be done, and that Aikka's arm would have to be amputated from just above the elbow.

Rage had engulfed the Nourasian people when they heard of the Umbatah' treachery. Obviously, he had been the one who had shot down the Ibijim in the previous race! Not only that, but he was a wanted criminal who worked with the Crogs! It was clear he was trying to assassinate their Prince, and only failed because of the Earth Racer's intervention. It seemed the bad news didn't end there. Tou Ke's kin (the ones who were attending the race with him) had not only attacked the Princess and heir to the Nourasian crown, but kidnapped her as well! The heir, gone! Many Nourasian Knights and other servants of the crown departed in search of the kidnappers as soon as the news arrived, but none had yet returned. It was also discovered that the Terratites disappeared with the Umbatah. It was thus assumed that the two groups were working together in this plot against the Nourasians.

As all this news reached the kingdom, many pessimists came up with their own theory. They felt that this plot was not an action planned by the two racing teams alone, but by their governments. Though the Umbatah had a long history with Earth, neither them nor the Terratites had a large and/or well trained army. The Umbatah had always been a people more interested in engineering and inventing, while the Terratite people were primarily agricultural with little technology to speak of. It made sense that these two weaker nations would bond together to destroy the more powerful planet of Nourasia. This race was simply the perfect opportunity to destroy Nourasia from within. Without an heir, they would be thrown into chaos, and possible civil war, giving the Umbatahs and Terratitians the perfect chance to seize control. Though the King saw some truth in their words, he considered most of it rubbish. He had already met with the head of the Territitanic government for the assurance that their team was acting on their own, and would soon meet with the Umbatah to learn the same.

"My King?" A voice called from behind the curtain. It was the voice of an adult woman, spoken in fluent Nourasian with the accent of those from the Nourasian tropics.

"You may enter," He replied, recognizing it to be the voice of one of his wife's personal servants, Miyranda.

Miyranda pushed aside the curtains. Her deep chestnut hair fell nearly past her hips in a mass of curling and waving locks. She gave a low bow before proceeding with her information. "Communication with the Umbatah Ambassador has been established. Her highness, the Queen, is currently speaking with him, but would greatly appreciate your presence for the discussions."

"Very well, inform her that I shall arrive momentarily." The King said it with a bit of a sigh: though negotiations were always better than armed conflict, he couldn't help but admit that they were rather tedious.

"Very good sire." The woman gave a quick bow. Before she closed the curtain however, she cast a worried glance in Aikka's direction, as if wishing she could do something for the wounded prince.

Loa stayed with his son a short while longer, staring down with an expression of serene calmness. His fingers twitched again, and with a sigh, the Nourasian finally gave in to their wanting. He quickly re-tidied his son's hair on the pillow, and gave him a fond pat on his headpiece-less forehead. Standing slowly, so to not disturb his bones with a rapid change in position, the King left his son, quickly adopting the mask-like face required by the leader of any planet.

* * *

Jordan was angry. The smallest piece of his anger was directed at Adnarim, the second piece at the Umbatah, and the largest portion by far came right back at him. He couldn't believe that he, who had spent a good portion f his life in the military, could have made the mistake that allowed Bevele to be captured. He hadn't been aware of his surroundings, he hadn't reacted quickly enough, he had done everything wrong! 

At first, Eva had been super worried about him, saying it wasn't his fault Bevele had been captured, and other garbage like that. Jordan did not take it kindly. He retaliated like a tiger before he could think it all through. At that point, Eva simply gave up, deeming him a hopeless case: if he wanted to be miserable, then that was his own fault.

"You don't really understand!" Was how Jordan had justified his actions. "You were actually able to protect Princey!" Which was true, considering how Eva had been able to push the Umbatah ship aside, keeping the shots from being vital. She had done something in a seemingly hopeless situation. But Jordan, who by all means should have protected Bevele, had failed. He couldn't even protect a sixteen year-old Nourasian girl! He was utterly useless. Choosing to sink into a wave of anger, Jordan's our mood extended outward as he snapped at everyone, be it mechanic or pilot. Beneath all this, the dual haired, ex-gunner was a little ashamed of how he was acting, but once again, not ashamed enough to actually do anything.

"You do realize," Koji began, keepin a particularly pissed off Stan from taking serious action against Jordan. "You sound just like Eva did when we first met on Alwas. The whole blaming yourself thing just lets you wallow in your suffering. You don't actually even do anything about the problem, which is probably why you're acting like this: so you don't have to take any real action."

"!—" Before Jordan had a chance to respond, Don walked briskly into the hanger, with a look of serious urgency on his face.

"Jordan, Prince Aikka has requested your presence in the infirmary. It sounded urgent, so I would suggest you get moving."

"Uh- Yes Sir!" Jordan was half-tempted to shout a rude comment at Stan and Koji as he left, but the stern look Don was giving him informed the ex-gunner's common sense that any further action was a very bad idea.

* * *

As Jordan would say, Aikka was not one happy Nourasian. He had woken up the morning preceding the race worried, hungry, and in a great deal of pain. When he had exhausted all possible worries on the outcomes of the race, he turned to some other way to pass the time. He would have very much liked to finish a particular book about military tactics and strategies he was currently reading. Unfortunately, said book was collecting dust in his and Bevele's hideaway in the North Library. Seeing as the siblings were the only ones aware of its existence, and Aikka being currently bed-ridden, he would have to ask Bevele to retrieve the book. And while she was up there she could bring down one or two of the hardier plants to keep him company.

But when he had called for a healer to summon Bevele for him, he had been informed of her kidnapping. Aikka was outstandingly close to his sister, and after his older brother had died, his worrying had only increased ten-fold. Needless to say, the Prince's reaction to the news had not been calm. In the end, the head healer had been forced to use a spell which basically tranquilized him. He slept most of the day, and had groggily awoken only a short while ago.

Aikka quickly realized that the healers must have been acting under his father's orders. It spelled out a clear message: he was not to go searching for his sister, before or after his wounds were healed. This would simply not do for the dark skinned prince. His rebellious side, long since hidden behind a polite smile, began to seep out from behind its seals. It took no time at all for him to iron out his hypothesis, and then concoct a plan. He asked a healer to summon the three allies he would need for the task. If he was to have any hope of rescuing Bevele, he would have to act immediately

* * *

After a few wrong turns, and doubling back once, Jordan arrived at the Palace Infirmary. The first room he came upon was, of course, the Nourasian version of a waiting room. It was a round room with large curving benches adorned with embroidered pillows fitting the curve of the wall. Jordan noticed a woman (presumably waiting to be served) lift up the cushions and pull up a toy from the compartment beneath for her young ones. Directly across from him was a window built on a wall. Behind it, a healer was busily working away writing on a scroll of paper with some sort of pen. Behind him were shelves and shelves of various documents. On either side of the window there were two well lit passageways, both with signs written in Nourasian explaining where they lead to.

Jordan heaved a sigh when he realized he would have to speak with the receptionist. The man with dual colored hair had something against receptionists. They never seemed to listen to what he was asking for, and always gave the worst directions. He was not exited about the prospect of dealing with one now, especially in his present mood.

"Excuse me," he said, putting on his most polite smile. "Could you point me in the direction of the room Prince Aikka is staying in?"

The Nourasian merely looked up at him from behind a pair of oval shaped spectacles with eyebrows raised. "And for what reason would you wish to see the Prince?" The Nourasian had every reason to be skeptical of the Earthen's request. Why, he'd already had at least ten (if not more) of the Prince's admirers come asking for him since midmeal. How was the receptionist to know Jordan did not fit into this category?

"I'm Jordan Wilde. I was told he asked for me." Jordan replied, his irritation level beginning to rise. Why did this always happen to him?

The receptionist paused, as if the name sounded slightly familiar. He set down his writing utensil to mull over a set of appointments and messages written neatly on a scroll of parchment. He squinted at a particular note: from the handwriting, it must have been written quickly. Adjusting his spectacles, the Nourasian stared at the words for another moment before turning his attention back to the ex-gunner, who by this time was more irritated than ever. "It seems that you have an appointment." He replied, as if this conclusion was a surprise to all, and should be announced on the daily news.

"Well duh." Jordan replied before remembering his manners. "I mean, which way is the Prince's room?"

The Nourasian's eyes narrowed at the tone he'd been addressed in, before directions quickly sprouted from his mouth. He had half the mind to give the Earthen the wrong directions, but most likely that meant the man would end up returning to his desk, and ask for directions again. Seeing as the receptionist would rather not deal with the Earthen more than he had to, all directions he gave were accurate. Grumbling to himself, Jordan wandered down the left passageway, hands in pockets

* * *

A smile graced Eva's smooth pink lips like the first golden rays of sunshine on a dark morning. It was all she could give to the planet below, but it was all he needed. She had wound her way through the Infirmary, (a maze like the rest of the Palace) discovering Aikka within a curtained off corner of the room, propped into a sitting position with many pillows, and staring somberly out a small window.

As expected, she was delighted to see him. Soon however, her original worry doubled, though this time the cause was not his injuries. His eyes were like bottomless pools of the most frigid water. It was almost the same stare that controlled his eyes when he had first arrived on Earth after the Crog War. Once smoldering ashes, they were now shining as a great bonfire, lit with determination, hatred, and the controlling desire to take action.

The two were saved from the uncomfortable silence that blanketed them after some small talk by the arrival of Jordan. He looked rather disgruntled, with both fuzzy, caterpillar eyebrows knitted. He of course asked the usual questions concerning Aikka's injuries before asking why Princey Boy had called them both here.

"That, I shall explain when the final person has arrived." He said it in a cool commanding voice, like a captain to his soldiers. Had the mood in the room not been writhing with angst, Jordan probably would have tickled the answer out of the Prince. Either that or he could have tugged the Nourasian's floppy ears until he talked. A small evil smile slowly formed on the tanned human's face as he delighted himself with the tortures he could inflict upon Aikka. When the final person did arrive, each was consumed in their own thoughts. Her eyebrows cocked in disappointment, as if she had expected the three to be living Jordan's current fantasy.

"You expect to rescue her highness with this attitude? You must have taken an injury in the head as well as in the body, my prince." Urlda's massive shape stood silhouetted by the light from the other side of the curtains. Aikka's mouth would have dropped in shock, had he not spent many years learning to comb his features.

"How did you-"

Urlda silenced him with a quirky smile. "You're just lucky your parents and Canaan think you won't be able to take any action while bedridden. Now, tell us about your plan, seeing as I'm certain we have little time to take action before it will be impossible to rescue Bevele."


	20. Flying Blindly to Catastrophe

**Bonds**

Disclaimer: Remember that pink flamingo that stalked Jordan? Well, it's really the Avatar.

Author's Note: Alrighty people, I realize I haven't updated in a while, but I blame it on lack of inspiration. Thankfully, I have finally seen a light at the end of the tunnel! I am going to finish this story, and since we're in the rising action, I'm cutting off on all the random superfluous information, and am getting to the REAL action. Yay! And while I'm at it, I thought I should give you people a little fluff, because every fic needs fluff.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty: Flying Blindly to Catastrophe**

The cold wind bit at Jordan's exposed flesh as he turned his head to survey the scene. The sky above was a murky mix of red and grey, and the scenery was painted over with a thick layer of slime and dirt. And he thought that the pollution on Earth had been bad.

Before Jordan could further admire the scenery a cry cut through the air; He would have been able to identify its owner even if he were blindfolded and surrounded by one hundred other shouting and/or screaming girls. He whipped around, his firearm within reach. One glance explained Eva's stress: a full-grown male Crog had a death grip around her waist. His yellow eyes glinted dangerously, as his grip grew tight enough to extract another cry of pain from Eva.

Jordan couldn't help but wonder just how they had gotten into this situation.

* * *

Aikka was quick to inform the other conspirators that they would first need to determine the location of Bevele. He then explained that it was most likely she was being held on Kram, the Crog home world. With Nourasians searching all over the planet, it was obvious that Tou Ke would have to be a fool to hide on Nourasia. Adding to that, Kram was the only planet nearby that would house the fugitive. Of course getting to Kram would be another problem all in itself, but the Prince had seemingly already come up with a way to combat this as well, and whispered something in both Urlda and Jordan's ears before sending them and Eva away from the infirmary.

* * *

Urlda lead the way down a winding tunnel and into the depths of the palace. Eva's lips were pursed in annoyance as she followed the stout Nourasian and the accompanying Gunner-Boy deeper into the darkness. Why was she the only one left out of the loop?! Of course Aikka and Jordan knew, but then when even Urlda was on top of things, it wasn't fair. What special secret had the three of them hidden down here? Though she had seen some amazing things done by magic, she had yet to see anything that allowed the Nouasians to travel through outer space. Maybe this was it?

Eva's musings were cut short as Urlda announced they had arrived. The passage way ended much as it had begun: a plain-looking wooden door with a rounded top. Urlda pulled it open via the metal ring handle, and beckoned Jordan and Eva to go in ahead of her. Pitch black seeped in around them. A blue glow pushed the black aside and Urlda entered with a small glowing rock held high above her head: the Nourasian equivalent of a flashlight. Blinking her crimson eyes, Eva could make out blue light dancing on some object further in the room. The Earthen guessed it was metal by the way the light shimmed across the surface, but couldn't be quite sure. Jordan took the glowy-rock from Urlda before heading deeper into the darkness.

"No wonder this place is so dark! A whole bunch of dumb plants have grown over the entrance." He called back.

"Be careful not too cut too many of 'em as you work. Tellus, the Goddess of Nature, doesn't like people messing with her works, especially outsiders like you." Urlda shouted in response.

Then light erupted into the chamber. Eva quickly shut her eyes to shield them from the fierce yellow glow and raised a hand over her face. Her eyes slowly adjusted, and she stared first to where Urlda was fixing a winkle in her apron, then to where Jordan was standing in front of a bright opening to the outside world, and finally her eyes met with the strange object that had caught in the rock's glow.

It was a Crog Trident.

Colored in the Crogs' trademark black and red, the sleek craft rested on the stone floor. Even in this setting, the Trident was shockingly menacing, with little nicks and burns on the sides to show it was experienced in battle. It all made sense to Eva now. Tridents were designed so they could not only travel on a planet's surface, but through space as well, albeit for a very short period. It had probably been abandoned by its pilot during the Crog War, and now that Aikka and Jordan had it, they wanted her to fly them to Kram. It was ingenious, not only would they not have to risk hijacking an Earth ship, but they would have the perfect disguise to get onto the surface of Kram without being intercepted by the natives.

"Well?" Jordan asked, looking at her expectantly.

Eva wiggled her fingers with anticipation of getting them on the controls. "This is gonna be one hell of a ride."

Jordan winced. "That would be a lot more comforting if I knew I wouldn't be riding with you.

* * *

Aikka stared at the tome sitting open in his blanket covered lap. With is left arm (the good one) he flipped through the pages, blue eyes scanning for a particular line of text. This was the next stage in Aikka's magnificent plan. With his injuries, he could barely walk, let alone rescue his younger sister from her kidnappers. But with the spell he was looking for, that would no longer be a problem. Called the Knight's Spell by some, and the Suicide Spell by others, it would allow the Prince to completely heal all his injuries, if only for a short period of time. It worked a bit like a loan with a sickeningly high interest rate: it took a great amount of energy to make the person fit for a short amount of time, and once that period was over the person reverted back to their original status. However, depending on the amount of time that had passed, the injuries increased. So if Aikka had a four centimeter cut along his arm, and he used the spell for two days, the cut would be one centimeter longer when time was up. Not only that, but the life energy required to do this was enormous, and it would most likely end up shortening the nourasian's life expectancy a few years, and leave him drained for weeks after the time was up.

But that wasn't about to stop the Prince of Nourasia. He would save his sister no matter the cost. Bevele and Eva had to be the two most important people in the universe to him, and he wasn't about to let one of them down.

* * *

Aikka gave his final instruction to Urlda as Eva and Jordan made the final preparations on the Trident. The other three ad all loudly objected when they had learned what Aikka had done, Jordan most of all, as he had seen the Suicide Spell being used many times during the war. Most Knights took more time than their bodies could bear, and when the hourglass ran out of sand, they died, sometimes instantly, from their now larger wounds. But as it was already done, Jordan could only hope Aikka had not taken too much time.

Eva finished packing the last supplies Urlda had given them in the Crog Trident. The cook would not be able to accompany them, seeing that she was badly needed in the kitchens. Plus the Trident had been designed for one Crog and a few supplies, so just fitting three of them would be difficult enough. Still, she was glad that the great woman had been part of the conspiracy, she had been helpful in ironing out a few parts in Aikka's plan, and had provided all the supplies.

"Besides, I aint gonna be much help if y'all run into any trouble on Kram," she admitted with a shrug. The three adventurers all waved before the Trident's hatch closed. Soon the engine flared to life, and they flew out of the cavern and into the bright daylight. Her hands gripped tightly to the gears, Eva steered them at a steep angle toward the sky and to space beyond.

* * *

Eva stared at the console as she finished inputting the commands that would put the Trident on autopilot until they reached Kram. Eva stared down at the floor where the Crog' massive feet would normally have rested. Since her stubby legs didn't even reach halfway down the chair, that space had been taken up by Aikka and Jordan, with the storage beneath the chair used for stashing three days worth of food and warm clothing. They were sitting with their backs to the console screen, and their faces to Eva. Jordan was sleeping, little snores softening the air around him. The trip was almost six Earth hours, so the Prince had suggested they all get some rest before they arrived at the hostile planet. However, it seemed Aikka wasn't taking his own advice: his open blue eyes stared blankly at the space in front of them.

Eva's small black eyebrows immediately knitted. There was no doubt about it; she had been seriously worried about the Prince ever since he had first seen him lying in that hospital bed. She hadn't gone against his plan because she remembered how badly she had fought for her on mother back during the race of Oban, even if she had given her up at the very end. Eva knew what it was like to want something so badly that she would risk her life for it. She would stand behind him the whole way. However, that didn't mean she wasn't about to fuss a little over Aikka here and there. Though Eva knew perfectly well it wasn't her place to ask for Aikka's attention at a time like this, she couldn't help but wish for the Prince who had smiled kindly at her, or taken that little time away from his paper work to plant a kiss on her forehead. She wanted to be in his arms, and for him to tell her he loved her. But Aikka's cool eyes of ice served as a constant reminder that he had more important things to think about at the moment: things more important than her.

Eva had to stop and scold herself after this thought, rescuing Bevele was triply more important than Eva's silly desires for romance. Besides, as soon as they returned, she would have to go back to Earth, and there would be light-years between herself and the Prince. Who knew if their relationship would even survive? It was better to end it now while she could.

The Earthen froze as Aikka noticed he was being watched and looked back at her. Then, as if a bucket of hot water had been forced over him, Aikka's somber expression melted, and he gave her a soft smile. It wasn't just a smile, it was his smile, and Eva felt her heart stop beating. He stood up and sat beside her on the pilot seat. There was just the perfect amount of space to fit both of them and still have just enough room for a centimeter or two between them. Aikka was the first to speak.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this, Eva." His voice was soft enough to keep from waking Jordan, yet still be perfectly clear. Eva could almost feel regret radiating from his body.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I want to rescue Bevele as much as you do." As usual, she quickly brushed it off, unaware of what else to say.

"No, I had wanted your time on Nourasia to be special, but yet I pulled you into this mess."

"It was special!" Eva quickly pointed it out. "But now we have to rescue Bevele. You couldn't have known this was going to happen."

"Still, will you allow me to make it up to you?" He searched her crimson eyes for a response.

She gave him a little smile. "Of course, Prince."

"Good." He stood, ready to return to his original spot, and then paused as if something had just occurred to him. A smile played on his lips. He leaned over Eva, until their noses were nearly touching. "Eva, I love you." He sealed this statement with a passionate kiss, his hands against the seat to support himself as Eva wrapped her arms around his waist. She could taste his declaration on his lips, and kissed even harder, communicating her own reply. They hung there, even after the kiss broke, clinging to each other like a lifeline.

"Aikka," the whisper came from Eva's lips, barely audible. "When this is over, promise you'll come visit me on Earth?"

He pulled back, so he could to a clear view of her face, and so she could see his smile. "I promise to do far more than that, my dear Earth Princess."

* * *

Eva could see the great red planet in the distance. It looked a little like Mars, only a lot bigger. Jordan had woken up not too long ago, and was now being instructed by Aikka on how to put on the special Nourasian coats they were going to be wearing. Normal temperatures on Kram were frigid compared to Earth or Nourasia, and extra layering would be necessary if they didn't want to freeze to death. Eva couldn't help but be amazed at the Crog home world; she had often been told that it was surrounded by a nearly impenetrable fleet of warships, but all she saw was floating scarp metal. So this is what had happened to the Crogs during the great war named for them. She only spotted a single warship as she maneuvered through all the debris. She couldn't help but wonder what the Crog military looked like if they could only spare that many troops for defense. She hit the atmosphere, and after breaking through, landed neatly in what looked like the slums of a large city.

Before she could leave the craft she had to pull on a pair of white Nouraisian leggings with brown ties, what looked like a mid-evil tunic, a cloak of deep brown, not unlike the one Aikka had worn during the race, and finally a pair of gloves and boots. Jordan and Aikka wore much the same as her, except Aikka's wore a modified version of the armor he worn had during the race, and his cloak was a shade of mahogany. Jordan had ditched the cloak for his own deep green military jacket, and had chosen to wear his own black boots. Aikka strapped a rather elegant long sword to his waist, and a dagger to his boot, while Jordan grabbed his favorite laser rifle. Eva wished she had her own weapon, but that could not be bothered at this point.

Together they stepped out into the hostile environment. Eva was amazed at how completely different it was from Earth. The skies were a dirty red, and pollution floated in the air like eternal fog. The ground was not dirt, but a rock hard surface, something like asphalt or cement. Pieces of metal jutted from the ground, and were surrounded by giant structures of plastic, glass, and yet more metal. Here the buildings were run down, and in some instances nothing more than pieces of scrap and rubble. If this is what they had done to their home planet, it was no wonder the Crogs had to rape so many other planets for resources.

Thinking she had seen something, Eva took a few steps away from the boys, her scrutinizing eyes squinting as she tried to get a better look at something in the rubble. Her eyes widened almost instantly as the shape became one of her biggest fears. A full-grown make Crog burst from one of the abused shack-like buildings. In moments he had her in a death grip, a cry escaping her lips as he squeezed mercilessly. Within seconds, the boys she had so foolishly walked away from came to her rescue.

"Release her!" Aikka shouted, drawing his long sword while Jordan aimed his rifle. When the red-armored Crog failed to comply, the Nourasian dashed forward, the sword held high. It was as if he flew, his feet didn't seem to touch the frozen ground. Smoothly, with the grace blessed on Nourasians, he leapt to the sky, all the while arching his sword in a downward slash; he planned to remove the offending appendage that had wronged his Eva. Mid-way a bright light sliced through the air, much like a flying glow stick. As Aikka landed, a piece of something hit the ground to his right. To his horror, he realized it was part of his blade. The prince of Nourasia immediately jumped backwards, narrowly missing the glowing object that would have made him two. After a second leap back, Aikka got a good look at his attacker, who had taken up a defensive stance near the Crog.

It was a small Nourasian boy.

Though chapped by the cold, his skin was the same dark reddish-brown of those Nourasians who lived closer to the tropics. Calculating grey eyes stared out from behind unruly brown hair that stuck up in odd directions. A white shirt highlighted with stains tucked into a metal belt much like the one Aikka was wearing, only made with far cheaper material. His legs were covered from the elements by a pair of red and black Crog Pants that looked like they had been taken in many times to fit him. Sandals and a pair of black metal gauntlets completed the outfit.

Aikka knew that the Crogs had taken many of his people as slaves, but he still needed to allow himself a moment to let it skin in. A small silver earring inlayed with a red gem clipped to the right of the youth's floppy ears confirmed the Prince's suspicions. He had seen those before. The earring could both track the boy's whereabouts, and give out a potentially lethal electric shock if needed. It was the mark of a slave.

Of course all of this was nothing compared to the blade that the youth held in his hands. It was designed with the simple handle of a Nourasian sword, and even had a Nourasian-like sheath, but the blade was made of the same glowing yellow as a Trident's blades. Judging from what it did to Aikka's long sword, it probably had the same abilities as a Trident blade too.

Aikka quickly removed the small dagger that he had strapped to his boot. As a result of the Crog War, Nourasia had developed a metal that could stand up to the Crog's glowing blades. The metal was extremely expensive, and only handed out to the knights during war-time. Even as a Prince, this knife was the most Aikka could get his hands on during peace-time. Now armed appropriately, he sprung forward to meet blades with the Nourasian-who-fought-with-the-Crogs.

Seeing Aikka preoccupied, Jordan realized that freeing Eva now rested squarely on his shoulders. Fueled with more determination than before, the ex-soldier took aim for the Crog's legs, hoping to cripple him. With amazing deftness, the Crog leapt away from the blast emitted by the laser rifle. He wasn't as lucky with the next shot as Jordan hit the shoulder unprotected by armor. Something like a cry of pain given from between clenched teeth came from the Crog as he dropped the Earthen. Thanking that his commander had always made him carry his laser rifle on a sling, Jordan raced forward, and hefted Eva with both arms. She wasn't too pleased about being carried, and squirmed, trying to get back on her own feet. Jordan let her go as soon as they were out of the Crog's reach. Eva was a bit winded, but otherwise fine.

Fighting as skillfully as a Nourasian Knight, the youngster easily parried Aikka's blows. Had Aikka's blade not have been so small, he would have had an advantage of the other Nourasian because of his size, but as things were the two factors nullified each-other. The two's swords were locked when Jordan succeeded in hitting the Crog. The ruffian's attention faltered for a moment, as he stole a glance at the Crog with some concern. Aikka seized this advantage, and pushed forward with all his might, causing the smaller Nourasian to falter, and give up his ground, but not before Aikka left a shallow cut across his cheek. Any slower and he would no longer have a head. Relocating himself in a defensive position guarding the injured Crog, the child stood ready to keep harm from the larger being. The red-armored Crog wasn't ready to give up though. He stood, ready to charge, when a soft feminine voice sounded from behind him.

"For what reason do you attack these humans, Toros? They did not seem to provoke you, and they clearly have you outmatched. Why do you continue fighting?" Even with her height of five feet, the male still seemed to tower over the Crog girl. Like most Crogs, she had a short coat of black fur-like hair covering her entire body and two long 'ears' sticking from the top of her head, though hers were far more elegant, with a gentle curve instead of the normal angular ear. Her once white outfit was a simpler version of what most Crog soldiers wore, minus the armor, and with a shawl-like piece of cloth covering her shoulders.

"Fool!" was the Crog's instant reply. "It was that pathetic human who stole my honor three years ago! Were it not for her, I would still have my status!"

* * *

AN: One of these days somebody is going to kill me for all these cliff hangers. 


End file.
